APAC to visit Nevada Thursday to address paving issues

The asphalt mix used for the 2011 street construction program is the same mix that was used for paving on U.S. Highways 71 and 54, City Manager JD Kehrman told the city council during Monday's special council meeting.

Kehrman told the council that in response to concerns raised by the city's infrastructure committee about the appearance of the asphalt, Roger Beach talked to APAC about the issue.

Beach told the council that while there are couple of places that need to be repaired, APAC representatives said the asphalt used in the paving was BP-2 mix, which uses larger rocks and is more durable. This mix can only be used in asphalt that is more than two inches thick, which is the minimum thickness laid in Nevada this year. The larger rock makes the surface more durable.

For thinner overlays, they use a BP-2 mix, which uses smaller rocks and is more easily damaged by heavy traffic.

Kehrman told the council that APAC will be in town on Thursday to address any problems, and a representative will be at the September infrastructure board meeting to talk about the surfacing material.

In other business the council:

* Held a public hearing and voted 5-0 to set the city's 2011 property tax levy at 67.78 cents per $100 assessed valuation for the city's general fund and at 20 cents per $100 assessed valuation for the library fund. These rates were calculated by the Missouri State Auditor. These are the same rates used in 2010.

* Voted 5-0 to roll back the city's 17 cent per $100 valuation park property tax to zero due to the passage of the city's 1/2 cent parks sales tax.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation to allow MoDOT to temporarily to close streets to traffic while installing new ADA compliant ramps on U.S. Highway 54 from Tower St. to Osage Boulevard and north on Osage to near Hickory Street. This project is paid for by MoDOT and does not cost the city anything.

* Voted 5-0 to accept the $7,245.36 bid from Cummins Central Power LLC for a 7,000 watt generator for the city's sewer camera van. The previous generator, which was not large enough to run the camera, computers and air conditioner needed to keep the equipment cool, failed and needs to be replaced. The camera is used to inspect the city's sewers for problems.

* Held a public hearing and voted 5-0 to approve a utility line easement to allow Barton County Electric to install electric service to the new maintenance building at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance accepting the bid of $50,018 from Miller Construction, El Dorado Springs, for a new maintenance building at Twin Lakes Sports Complex. The project is being built with money from the city's current parks construction sales tax.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance renewing and approving the city's financial disclosure ordinance which applies to the city manager. State statues require the ordinance be re-enacted every two years and submitted to the Missouri Ethics Commission, however, at the recommendation of the Missouri Municipal League the city re-enacts this ordinance every year.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with the Vernon County Commission to include the city's real and personal property tax billings on the county's tax bills for 2011. The cost to the city this year for this service is $3,827.20. In 2010 the cost was $3,820.30.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving a contract with the Vernon County Commission and the Vernon County Assessor for assessment services for 2011, for a fee of $200 per month.

* Voted 5-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving a user agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation for the city to use the MoDOT network or global navigation satellite stations to provide real time and accurate GNSS positional data for use with Trimble GeoExplorer GIS the city recently purchased. The equipment will be used to map the city's streets, water lines, manholes, sewer lines and other infrastructure to within 4 inches.

* Voted 5-0 to accept a $5,780.38 bid for a turf equipment lift for the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course. The lift will raise equipment overhead for safer maintenance or repair of mowers and other equipment. It will also be available for use by other city departments.

* Voted 5-0 to approve a traveled right-of-way solicitors permit for the Nevada Fire Fighters Local 3031 to operate a boot block Sept. 3-5 at the Osage and Austin intersection to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.