Council gives preliminary OK to enclosed shelter house proposal

Construction of the long-awaited enclosed shelter house at Marmaduke Park should begin in the next couple of months, with a proposed completion date of May 1, 2009. This will be the final project to be paid for from the 1/2-cent parks and recreation sales tax that was passed in 1999. The original concept was to install a metal shell building, including the electrical and plumbing work and have city workers do the finish work on the interior, with an estimated price of $90,000 to $100,000.

Tuesday night the city council voted 4-0, with Bill Gillette excused, to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving a design-build contract with Erwin Construction for an enclosed shelter house in Marmaduke Park for a cost of about $150,000. The council requested that Erwin bring them the cost of adding three more windows to the building at the Dec. 2 council meeting, when they will have the second reading of the ordinance.

"There are still a couple of questions that need to be resolved with Erwin before the second reading," Nevada City Manager Bill McGuire told the council.

Council member Jayne Novak said that she did not like the design of the building, because it only has three windows and they cannot be opened.

Bill Erwin, of Erwin Construction, told the council that they only included the three windows because of security and they do not open because of the cost.

Erwin also said that if the windows can be opened, someone will have the windows open while the air conditioning is running or windows will be left open and someone will be called by the police to come and close the window.

The council also voted 4-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving adding $19,216 to the Marmaduke

Enclosed Shelter contract to cover the cost installing a HVAC system in the building.

"Without heating and air conditioning the building will only useful six months of the year," council member Tim Wells said.

In other business the council:

* Voted 4-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with Reed Dozing and Contracting to do the grading on the baseball and softball fields at the Nevada Municipal Sports Complex at Twin Lakes Park.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on first reading a general ordinance approving a change in the composition of the Nevada Regional Medical Center board of directors to have four city residents on the board and five Vernon County members, who may be Nevada residents. Currently the board of directors has five members that are city residents and four who are Vernon County residents, and may be city residents.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance authorizing the mayor to apply for federal grants to pay part of the cost of operating the city's taxi coupon program in 2009.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance adding $45,000 to the 2008 city budget to cover the cost of operating the city's taxi coupon program for the balance of 2008.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on second reading a general ordinance adding the design-build concept to the list of approved methods for the city bid the construction of city facilities.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance allowing J. J. Curtis to connect a house in the Rolling Meadows Sewer District to the city's sanitary sewer system. City regulations require city council approval for all connections to the city's sewer system that are outside the city limits.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance adding $15,000 to the city's contract with Allgeier Marten and Associates for the improvements to the wastewater treatment system improvements to cover the design phase to include burying a fiber optic line along the west interceptor sewer line.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance releasing the Neighborhood Improvement District assessment against Mark Selson on lot 6, block 7, in the Bartons Meadows Addition. The property has been sold and the $4,291.82 assessment has been paid.