American Standard announces merger with Crane

"It's a great opportunity to be here," Mark Britner, the new plant manager of the American Standard, formerly Crane Plumbing, plant, told the Nevada City Council Tuesday night.

Britner told the council that American Standard, Crane and Eljer have merged into one company and during the process they have closed 13 plants around the country.

"This is the plant in the country," he told the council.

"It will be a challenge to make this plant competitive so we can stay," he said.

Britner told the council that he is from Ohio and his wife and four of their six children will be moving here soon. A daughter in high school and a son in college will likely move here after school is out in the spring.

He said the he and his wife visited Nevada over Labor Day and both thought it was nice town.

"I'm glad to be here," he said.

"I think we will be successful," he told the council.

In other business, the council:

* Voted 3-0 to adopt Resolution No. 1272 certifying the results of the Nov. 3 City Council and declared that Brian Leonard and Sherry Steward were elected to two-year terms on the Nevada City Council effective Nov. 10.

* Voted 5-0, after the swearing in of new council members Brian Leonard and Sherry Steward, to pass on first reading a general ordinance amending Chapter 2 of the city code to name the police chief and fire chief as the custodian documents for their respective departments.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving a one-time payment to city employees of approximately 2-percent of their annual salary. The money for this will come from $70,063 the city has in Workers Compensation dividends from 1996 and 1998. The total cost of this is not to exceed $75,000.

* Held a public hearing and voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance authorizing the city to apply for $61,645 in federal money to pay 1/2 of the cost of operating the city's taxi coupon program.

The remaining money will come from the city's general fund.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving a contract with Allgeier Martin & Associates for miscellaneous engineering services.