City Council - Regular Meeting

Everybody rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I'd like to call this meeting to order. Now is the time for the open forum. Larry My name is Larry Joy. I live at 504 East Washington. Um just curious if there's any news on our tile line. Still the up the update, Larry, is as far as that study being done. Yeah. That they're still working on the study. It's not complete yet. They they're still working on it. I know they anticipated it here in the spring that the study portion would be done, but we have no idea not we have no idea when or in in

I mean they started not not a not a definite date. In the upcoming weeks the the study portion will be done. Okay. So they haven't even started. Oh yeah. Oh, they have. They've they've done a lot of work on the study. Yes. Okay. Well, I just it's once again I got a basement with water and I'm not happy. Yeah. So, okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

On to the consent items. Move to approve. Second. Aaron Holtz. I. Jackson. I. Sloan. I. Wait. I. Woman. I. Under new business item B. The resolution has been deleted. Oh, yeah. Item B. Let's go to item A is a resolution authorizing the use of preliminary official statement of the sale of general obligation bonds series 2026.

All right. So, in in February of 25, the city council had had taken action to uh to approve the issuance of of up to $2 million in general obligation debt in the the three main projects of this Westwood sidewalk, um fire truck, and then also um McKinley Street overlay. Okay. So, um this would be the financing for for those projects. So the timeline on this was that it's been been approved like I say February of last year but we had not officially um issued the debt yet. So what would happen tonight is some steps to proceed with the issuance. Okay. So what is proposed tonight is that the the city council would approve the preliminary official statement. Okay. And this is the statement then that goes out as far as advertising sale of the bonds. This is the the document that goes out to to sell the bonds. Then officially it is that it' be proposed then that the uh at the next council meeting we would actually meet to go ahead and sell those bonds. So um everything's in order to proceed.

I'd move to approve second. Wkelman. Hi, Witriick. Hi, Salone. I Jackson. Iron Holtz. Hi. Item C is a resolution approving a facade grant for 121 North Chestnut Street. Yeah, we've received a request from Pub Adventures to increase the amount of the facade grant about $2,800. Um, the cost came in a little bit higher than what they originally anticipated. Um, and they were well underneath the threshold of what they could have asked for. So, and we reviewed this with the downtown building committee and they did recommend that we would increase this amount.

So, they're not doing anything new. They're just not anything new. It was just after, you know, the original was request was um application was over, I don't know, a year ago and then when final numbers came in, it was just just a little bit over. And they they did have opportunity to originally ask for more, but just some of the numbers came in a little different than what they anticipated. I move to approve. I'll second. Jackson I Waitri I Sloan I Wkelman I Aaron Holtz

I MD is agreement for maintenance repair of primary roads in municipalities. Yeah, this is uh this would be a standard agreement with the with the DOT in regards to maintenance of state roads that come through the community. So this would be u in regards to to highway 30 and highway 4 details maintenance responsibilities about what the state is responsible for versus what the city is responsible for. Okay. So every five years this um this agreement is is renewed then so same agreement you know essentially as what it's been in the past no change in uh in responsibilities um again just uh every 5 years looking to do this and it's ready for approval. I'll move to approve.

Second. Jackson. I Erin Holds. Hi. Wait. Hi. Sloan. Hi. Winkleman. Hi. Item is consider approval of final pay estimate number 35 to Shank Constructors Incorporated of $183,94516 for the wastewater treatment plant project.

Yes. Jim uh Lighting and and Katie actually neither one of them were able to attend tonight. and they had asked that I would just would just speak to this, which is too bad. They're not here to to celebrate what is ultimately a pretty big deal. So, we this was this is final approval then of the uh of the wastewater treatment plant project and the project is is done. Everything is is uh complete. Punch list punch list has been uh attended to. Um the two actions then before the the council tonight approve what is the final pay estimate and the only thing included then in the final pay estimate is the release of the remaining retainage. So it's $183,945 which would be again the uh the retainage and that uh that would be having paid all of the expenses then associated with the project. In total, project comes in at $18,394,000. And I know it's always interesting to see where change orders came in. So, of the 18,89,000 was was change orders. So, um, significant amount of change orders, but percentage- wise, pretty darn good. You know, we ended up, uh, pretty pretty decent on what that, uh, um, what the additional costs were. Um anyway, this uh pay application is uh submitted for approval.

At least some of that extra expense came from discovering things that no one knew was there, right underground. Yeah, that's true. A lot of a lot of it initially there was those change orders were kind of surprising. Yeah. Yeah, big tank foundation that yeah there there were several but they were minimal in the overall project as it turns out. Yeah. Hey Harry, at our last meeting did they get um those mini splits working and everything else Danny was talking about that wasn't correct? They are, you know, they're

they're working um for as much as we could tell right now during during cooler weather. You know, everything was functioning functioning properly and they feel pretty good about them. Um the they had to get that mini split working. The uh water oil separator, they they had wanted to get that that fixed then too and and that's been attended to. Okay. And the pipe that broke which caused the spill, was that part of this new project or was that existing?

Part of the new project because that that happened on the feric chloride storage tank. So that's the big standup tank way on the on the west side of the of the plant property. So that that was a new tank that was was added into the project. uh the the leak occurred. Think of it this way. You got that big standup tank and the big standup tanks in enclosed stands in an enclosure, a leak enclosure just in case the thing leaks, right? Um well, within that enclosure then had significant uh water and and snow and whatnot and ultimately it melts and then refreezes, cracks the pipe. So that's that was the uh that was the problem there. the leak, you know, all of the the leak and and everything uh any of the problems associated with it has all been cleaned up, but I don't know that the leak itself has been fixed yet, but that would be our responsibility.

And the leak wasn't a was not a failure of the secondary containment. It was uh one of the containers they used to to pump it to pump okay pump the leakage or pump that into and then it leaked out and drained away. So, how do we prevent that in the future? You know that you said that was snow. Yeah, snow that they were they had talked about putting some type of a of a um a cover over that or whether it's some type of a roof or whatever it might be to to try to keep a lot of the moisture out of that.

Otherwise, you need to remember to go pump the thing out periodically, which that's subject to human error. Then, you know, you'd like to avoid that. understanding that with projects this size, you'll have Pandora's box, those buried tanks that you don't know that are there, but in cases where the engineer, it's reasonable that they would foresee potential issues, that's why we hire the engineer in the first place. Did we encounter any issues that were u on the oversight of the engineers's part during this project? Sure. What what I would tell you is that there are some

and as as much as possible they they have had been held accountable and have been really good partners in the deal then too. There was there were some things where they they would um admit to some shortcomings and what they did was they they would have stood the cost of of those additional costs then. Okay. Ultimately, we paid those costs and it and decreased the amount of engineering fees we paid them. Sure. But but they did they ultimately stood the cost.

Okay. Mainly what I'm referring to is the the air compressor pumps heating. I would it there's a potential that it might be reasonable that they might have foreseen something like that. As far as the mini split y temporary fix and then any future permanent solutions. um do they carry an insurance policy covering any responsibility on their part for that?

Sure. Yep. Two let's u talk about that just in twofold. So there's always the insurance policy on the engineer if there truly is something that would would come to light you know later on the insurance the the insurance the engineer carries that insurance. The other thing to point out for sure is the maintenance bond on the project then. So there's do-year maintenance bond on the project. the maintenance bond kicked in as a lot of the processes were completed. So, actually some of them that were completed a couple years ago, the maintenance bond has run on them already, but they've been running for two years and everything's going well. Um, but the the bond uh for anything recently completed again, it just runs out another two years. So,

and that maintenance bond is on the responsibility of the contractor. Yes. Yeah. Do we recall what how long they estimate that before we need a new wastewater treatment plant? What they said that I'll tell you that that we paid debt on that thing for 20 years. And by the time that the debt on that is being repaid, it's going to be time to start thinking of whatever the next event is going to be out there. Well, I don't even think out there. Didn't they say it'll have to be somewhere else? because that's what they said and they've mentioned that a couple times. If there's if there's a next project, it likely is not at that site.

Yep. Well, the other thing you've got going too, and that's a lot of the cost of this was a compliance issue and and rules change along the way too. So, with the phosphorus, right? Yeah. That that's probably a bigger issue than than uh the the worthiness of the plant function itself. Right. Yeah, I remember that too. Yeah. A French benefit of this is the water that we are then depositing into the river is actually cleaner than the river water is upstream from I think practically speaking it is but uh our answer is that it is compliant when it exits the root of the entire facility.

Right. Yes. I move to approve. Second Eron Holtz. Hi, Jackson. I Sloan. I Waitri. Hi, Winkleman. All right. Item F is a resolution approving certificate of completion and the final acceptance and release of retainage for the wastewater treatment plant project.

This should be the final action then on the uh on the water treatment plant project. So, this would go ahead and and approve the uh the certificate of completion. Um, just as far as in the backend work on the project. Uh, lean releases, that type of stuff, we do the engineer does require lean releases from the contractor and all the subs. So, those have all been been attended to. Uh, the uh uh in order to pay out the the retainage, we needed to have wait 30 days, which we've already waited 30 days and can go ahead and make that payment anytime. This would be the last uh action. And again, I think we're ready to go. Move to approve. Second. Second. Wman. Hi. Dietrich.

Hi. Sloan. Hi. Jackson. Hi. Erin Holtz. Hi. On to reports. Roxan. No report. David. No report. Scott, just one thing about about Gro Green County and their award uh awards night and I know that I had gotten responses back from from several folks, but Gro Green County awards night is is April 7th, 6:30 out at the out at the casino. So, uh let's have a nice nice showing there and like say I've heard back from several of you already. So, um looking forward to it. Okay, that's it. Uh, seeing Greg's not here tonight. Mark, you got anything?

No. Chad? No. Harry? No report. Matt, no report. Chad, no report. Luke,

um, build your own business went great the other night. Nice job, Matt. Uh and then on the 2nd, the Emergency Management uh Commission met and approved their 2020 67 budget with that $5,000 increase. No, library board met last night. Um, one of the big informative and exciting things is that April 13th, the architects will uh be presenting to a joint city council, library board of trustees, and public meeting to show what all their work is on the new design uh for the public library here in town. And that will start at uh 5:30 and it's absolutely open to the public and we're hoping to have quite a turnout to see this.

Yep. So that where will that be? Here.

That will be here in in the council chambers. Again, 5 5:30. We will advertise this and and put that out there with public notice as a city council meeting. Um so again, it's a Monday. This one's a a Monday the uh the 13th. Uh, but really do encourage folks to to come get up to speed on on what the building committee's been up to. Some unique things I I think that that the public is really is really going to like when it when it gets rolled out, but that'll happen on that Monday. Again, it's a a a council meeting. It would be a regular special council meeting and advertised as such. These architects really listened to everyone and I think there were we came down to two really good plans that then they melded into a great plan. They when they listen to what everyone wanted and things like that. So I think it's going to look spectacular. Cool. Uh I've only got a couple things. uh got the second assessor's conference board on Wednesday and I have finally gotten all the uh mayors who were going to have a county mayor's meeting towards the end of the month. So start that back up again. Okay, that's all I got. So we're done.