Council continues to make plans relating to community center project

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

With the City Council voting 4-1 to close a portion of the 200 block of West Hunter Street and 5-0 to approve the design-build contract with Crossland Construction the city is ready to move ahead with the renovation and expansion of the City-County Community Center.

Harlan Moore, city manager, told the council that with these two votes he is now free to begin negotiating with Crossland on the details of the project.

"This is premature, before we have the Town Hall Meeting. If we are asking people to come and voice their opinions," council member Joyce Wilson, said before casting the lone no vote on the ordinance to close a portion of the 200 block of Hunter Street.

"This is just my opinion," Wilson said.

Mayor Mike Hutchens said that he hopes a lot of people come to the Town Hall Meeting Thursday night at the Community Center.

"It is a public building and people should have an opportunity to comment on it," Hutchens said.

Wilson asked the council if the Community Center proposal changes and no longer crosses Hunter Street if they would be able to re-open the street.

Mayor Mike Hutchens said that if there is no need to close the street it can be rescinded.

Moore said that since closing the street had gone through the planning commission, rescinding that would probably have to go through the planning commission again.

He told the council that he was planning to advertise to hire someone to oversee the community center project to make sure everything is done according to the plan.

In responses to questions from Wilson, Moore said the building will be financed through the sale or certificates of participation and they will be repaid with $400,000 annual payments from the 1/2-cent parks sales tax.

The sales tax brings in between $700,000 and $750,000 per year.

Moore said that future maintenance of the building will be paid for in several ways. One possible way is with the money from the parks property tax that was rescinded while the parks sales tax is in effect. However, he said that he was still working out exactly how the city would pay for future maintenance.

In other business the council:

* Voted 4-1, with Tim Wells voting no, to go into executive session for the purposes of legal actions, causes of action or litigation and hiring, firing disciplining or promoting particular employees.

* Voted 5-0 to accept the low bid from Show-Me Products, Milo, for uniform shirts and caps for the city's 2009 recreation programs. Show-Me bid $4 each for youth baseball shirts and $4.50 for adult sizes; hats for $3 each; and shirt and cap combination for $7 for youth and $7.50 for adult. Soccer shirts, $4 each and Blastball shirts, $3.40 each.

* Voted 5-0 to accept the low bid of $10,490 from Solution Pros for two, 3Com 5500G-EI 48 port Layer 4 switch with warranty for the city VoIP system to connect the new Vernon County Jail to the city's VoIP system.

* Voted 5-0 to approve the appointment of Jeremy Akers to fill unexpired term on the planning commission. His term expires in 2010.

* Voted 5-0 to appoint Mary Reinert and Lynda Jones to two-year terms on the IMPACT Tourism board.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a general ordinance setting the industrial wastewater pre-treatment fee at $500.

* Voted 5-0 to give final approval to a special ordinance approving a contract with Vernon County for the city to provide telephone and Internet services for the new Vernon County Jail. Combining services will allow both Nevada and Vernon County to benefit from not duplicating equipment and services and to provide better communications between the city and the county.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for a grant to purchase a wheel chair accessible van that will funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The grant will cover the entire $49,328 cost of the van, which should be available this fall.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance lowering the number of planning commissioners from six to five for a quorum. This reflects a change in the number of voting members on the commission by changing the planning director and city council representative from voting to non-voting members of the commission.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on second reading a technical corrections ordnance to correct scrivener's errors regarding bill numbers, ordinance numbers and approval dates of various city documents.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance adding $1,000 to the Public Safety Department's budget to account for a contract with the Highway Safety Division of Missouri Department of Transportation to cover the overtime costs for the Nevada Police Department to participate in the 2009 Click-it or Ticket program May 18-31.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on second reading a special ordinance approving a design-build contact for parks maintenance building, near the public works maintenance building on South Jefferson St. The current parks maintenance building is located on the north side of Hunter Street from the Nevada-Vernon County Community Center and will have to be demolished to expand the community center.

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