The Grant City Council learned at last Wednesday's meeting that less than half of the CDBG surveys that were sent out were returned. There were 284 surveys that were mailed out by the state and only 106 were returned to the city as of last Wednesday. Councilwoman Linda Phipps said that "people want the city to do stuff," but that if they wanted the city to take action to bring clean water to town, they had to fill out the form. CDBG rules require that the city cannot proceed with its grant application for funds for an 11-mile water line from the Middlefork Water Plant to Grant City that the city says will bring cleaner water to the town and replace a line that has had chronic problems and triggered several boil orders in the last year until 80% of the people surveyed have returned forms. Last spring, school was closed for a day because of a leak just north of Gentry that dropped water levels in Grant City too low. There have been several other leaks in the 11-mile water line and Public Works Director Carl Staton said that the problems were only going to get worse if the city did not act. Councilwoman Cathy James said that if people had questions or concerns about the proposed project that they should come to the meeting and get their concerns addressed. She explained that peoples' privacy was protected as neither the city nor the state knows who gets the surveys as they are sent out in a manner similar to how the Census Bureau mails out their forms.
The council met with representatives from Snyder & Associates to discuss the plans for the Downtown Renovation that will be paid for by a $367,500 appropriation from the Federal Government. The project will include sidewalk replacement, beautification, stormwater repair (including the northeast corner), ornamental lighting, and the removal of the existing sidewalk. The preliminary cost estimate for the project will be $334,000, which will vary based on the design and based on what the city wants to do and what they want to leave out. Since this is a federally funded project, the project must be compliant with the ADA, which means all cross-slopes must be under 2%. Trash receptacles and benches will be replaced with ones that match the new design.
A preliminary timeline was mapped out. The council will have a working session for this project November 10th at 6:30 to discuss it in more detail. At the beginning of December, there will be a public forum so that the designers can take into account public feedback. There will be meetings with business owners on the square to discuss the project as well. By February or March, the plan will be submitted to the Missouri Department of Transportation for their approval, and by May, the bids will be sent out. By June or July of next year, the construction will begin and by September, the project will be complete.
Vernon Coy of KCP&L was present to discuss the rewiring of the square, which he said would be done at a minimal cost to the city. He reported that there was not enough electricity to power up the Fall Festival; the lights on the south side of the square went out during the final night of the event. "Every year, we fight to keep the power during the Festival," he told the council. They would rearrange wiring so that they could handle the Fall Festival, the Worth County Smokeoff, and other such events. Coy said that he would get the county's permission to set up needed poles on the Courthouse lawn and that he would donate labor to the project; Councilman Dennis Downing agreed to donate some materials to the project.
The council voted to authorize Councilman Bruce Downing and Public Works Director Carl Staton to spend up to $8,400 to replace the 1979 flatbed truck that the city is currently using. Staton said that the current truck needs about $1,500 to $2,000 in front end parts and that it would not go more than 30 miles per hour on the highway.
Staton reported that work had started on the Nature Trail; the county donated their dozer for the project for two days. Staton reported that he had helped Guy Fletchall remove some abandoned gas lines, met with four engineers who were interested in working on the water main from Grant City to Middlefork Water Company, and winterized the pool. The council voted to replace a sewage pump at a cost of $1,950. For winter, they voted to purchase calcium chloride for the streets for $1,700, salt for another $1,700, and sand for $900 for a total of $4,300. Staton reported that he had gotten a complaint from a customer on a dead-end line about magnesium; he suggested that the line could be hooked up to the main for about $200, as it would involve trenching a line across the street to where the main is. He noted that dead-end lines tended to be trouble spots for magnesium buildups as it sets in low areas and builds up.
Councilwoman Cathy James relayed a request from her daughter Becky McElvain to set up an alert system similar to the one that the school uses to notify parents of cancellations to notify customers of boil orders. Clerk Ayvonne Morin agreed to look into the cost of setting up such a system. In the event of a boil order, the city notifies KAAN Radio, 97.1 The 'Ville, and KQ2 and posts a notice at the Post Office and City Hall.
The city learned that gas rates for this winter will be almost half of what they were last year.
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