Grant City Mayoral Candidates Discuss Recent Progress, Future Challenges

Three Grant City mayoral candidates discussed the recent progress that the community has experienced as well as the upcoming challenges for the city. Incumbent mayor Debbie Roach is facing two challengers, David Snow and Glen Hughes in the upcoming municipal election. Dennis Downing is unopposed as West Alderman as a write-in candidate; he filed as a write-in after incumbent Doug Pickering did not seek reelection to the post. East Alderman Cathy James is unopposed. In addition, there is a municipal telecommunications issue on the ballot; this is not a new tax, but a measure that would allow the city to collect franchise fees from telecommunications providers who already assess city taxes to customers without turning them over to the city. All three candidates made their remarks at the Times-Tribune Candidates' Forum Thursday. The candidates gave opening remarks and then took questions from the audience.

Mayor Debbie Roach said that she was proud of what has taken place in the last five years. She said that some of the priorities for the city included finishing the pool and getting it open in time for Memorial Day, completing the Nature Trail, and seeing the Downtown Renovation Project forward. She said that she wanted to continue to support the work of Code Enforcement Officer Patsy Worthington, implement the Strategic Plan, and seek funding for the new Bathhouse; the city has recently completed an application for a $166,000 grant towards that project. She said that her experience in writing grants was important to keep the city moving foward. Specifically, she talked about her experience in writing the grants for access roads for the Gunstock Factory and the Dollar Store and other projects.

Challenger David Snow faced off against Roach in the 2007 election and is challenging her again. He spoke briefly, saying that he was pleased that there were three candidates for mayor and promising to "serve for the city and not for myself." Glenn Hughes said that he felt that some changes were needed at City Hall, including more accountability, and said that he wanted to find more money for turning gravel roads in the city into pavement.

Asked about what specific grants they would pursue, Snow said that he had worked with grants when working on projects with KCP&L and said that he would look into getting some of the stimulus money and make sure that "Grant City gets their fair share." Specifically, he said that he wanted to see more money for streets and infrastructure. "We need water and sewer, or we will have nothing to offer," he said. Snow said that he wanted to improve the water supply, saying that he did not want to see a repeat of the drought of a few years ago, where he said that the Middlefork Water Company lake was "down to puddles." Hughes said that he would push for funding for the streets that needed finishing as well as the pool.

Roach said that the greatest challenge for the city would be facing government mandates on water systems that would be coming down the pipe; she said that Allendale's new water plant would not be able to meet them even though it was built two years ago. She said that it was a statewide issue as well as a federal issue as entities all over the state would not be able to meet the mandates either. She said that another challenge was getting everyone hooked up to city sewer; part of the problem with state funding was that they only provided a 50% match; she said that although the city had a sales tax for streets, there were not any grants out there for streets except for access roads for businesses like the Gunstock Factory. She said that another challenge was getting people involved in local organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Progress Organization as well as other organizations in the city. She said that the city had a balanced budget and that $58,000 had been raised through donations for the pool.

Snow said that one of the biggest challenges for the city was the buildings and the need to remain viable. He said that although the budget was balanced, times were going to be tough; "we saw what happened in the 1980's" with rural communities. He said that for the next two years, things would be tough as the whole country continues to deal with the ripple effect of the current economic crisis. Hughes said that the biggest challenge was improving the roads and "finding out what it takes" to make the pool work. "It's up to everyone already here to make things work."

Councilwoman Linda Phipps asked about code enforcement, saying that first impressions were important for a town Grant City's side. She said that some of the messes were so bad that "who would want to move here?" Hugues said that a lot of the buildings on the square as well as old homes were a good place to start. But he said he wanted to relax the rules on unlicensed vehicles, saying that "they had to be put somewhere." Phipps replied that all of the city ordinances were there for a reason and Clerk Ayvonne Morin said that when the city got 10-15 complaints, that action from the city was needed. "If it needs to be taken care of, then it needs to be taken care of," responded Hughes. He said that it was important that enforcement efforts go deeper than 46. "We have to follow through," he said. Morin said that it was important for people to realize that it was not just a matter of city officials arbitrarily taking action, but a matter of the city acting on complaints from residents. Hughes asked if all the city statues were up to date; Cathy James said that the city had recently spent a lot of money to bring the city statues up to date and properly codified.

Snow agreed that the city ordinances should be enforced, saying that he was "bound by oath" to do so, and that enforcement would be up to the Code Enforcement Officer or himself. He said that it would not be a matter of "taking the hammer" to people and that the ultimate goal was to clean up the town and not to punish people.

Roach said that it was something that needed to be done and that the city could not "pick and choose" what to enforce and what not to enforce. She said that sometimes, the city acted on complaints; other times, they would send out letters. She said one of the worst complaints about a house came over one which she said was infested with coons, skunks, and snakes. "One person killed ten snakes in one day," she said. Roach said that in cases like that, the animals would get into neighbors' gardens and eat the plants. Roach said that it was also a hazard for children, who frequently get play around vacant houses. She said that Patsy Worthington was very good at what she did and at communicating the city's willingness to help people. "She doesn't just leave the problem hanging over peoples' heads," she said. "She goes out of her way to help. She'll make the calls and lines up the work so that it gets done," she said.

Dennis Downing asked about whether the city will use the municipal court system or do the cleanup work and assess the costs on peoples' taxes. Morin said that there was a process in place to determine which process was used. Hughes said that the court system was not the way to go and that he would clean up the property and assess it against that person's taxes. But Morin said that the work would have to be hired, for which she said the money was not in the budget for. Typically, Morin said that people were given 20 days to clean up their property, which she said was more than enough time for most people. "Charlie Sanders cleaned up his neighbor's former property in less time than that," added Debbie Roach. Morin added that if a person then failed to pay their taxes, that would be a lein against their property. Hughes said that whatever action the city takes against violators would be up to the council and that he would back whatever decision they made.

Snow said that for him, it would be a matter of using them as tools and that it was important to judge each situation individually in determining what action to pursue. He said that most of the work would be up to Worthington as Code Enforcement Officer, but that if a case was referred to him, then that meant that it had reached a "critical point." "I have to serve the community, so I would use the tools that we have in place to get results," he said. "It's not about punishment, but it's about getting a resolution."

Sherri James of the Pool Renovation Committee asked the two challengers how actively involved they would be on the pool. Both candidates said that they would help with the project as much as they can. Councilwoman Cathy James asked Hughes about his availability; Hughes, who is gone for much of the summer doing harvest work, said that he would make himself available by phone if something were to come up. In the past, the city has had a mayor pro tem run the meeting in the absence of the mayor.

New Presiding Commissioner Kevin Austin asked the challengers if they were willing to work with him to make sure the county and city were working as one unit. Hughes said that had been a problem in the past, but should not be a problem if he were elected. Snow agreed and said that the city could look at sharing resources with the county. He said that although the county was responsible for the Courthouse, for instance, it was still within city limits.

Grant City CBC Meeting for November 3rd, 2008

Grant City Community Betterment held their monthly meeting on November 3rd at City Hall.
The Bingo/Soup Supper hosted by Grant City Community Betterment, VFW and VFW Auxiliary was a success with close to $1,000 being raised for the Pool Fund. We appreciate everyone who helped and attended.
Debbie Roach and Cathy James attended the 45th Annual Missouri Community Betterment Conference in Jefferson City on October 19th and 20th and Grant City received second place in their population category. The plaque will be put on display in City Hall and we invite you to stop by and see all the awards we have received over the past 20 years. We are proud of all the awards and accomplishments we have received and they wouldn’t have been possible without all the caring and wonderful people in our community.
We held our Annual Nut Sales which benefits the “Toys for Worth County Kids” Project. Each year the number of underprivileged children increases and with the help of Allendale and Sheridan Community Betterment Clubs , Dollar General and many other businesses and individuals who give toys, monetary donations and support we are able to make Christmas a little better for the children in our county. If you would like to make a monetary donation you may send it to Grant City Community Betterment, PO Box 335, Grant City, MO 64456.
We will be putting decorations up in the Courtyard on Sunday, November 23rd at 1 pm and would appreciate all the help we can get. We did not put them up last year due to the weather; hopefully this year will be better. We have added a couple of new decorations, we hope you enjoy them.
We will also be conducting a Holiday Home of the Week Contest. You do not have to do anything to enter; just be sure and get your decorations up by December 1st. The contest will run for 4 weeks and prizes will be awarded to the winners on December 1st, 8th, 15th and the 22nd. The contest will be sponsored by Grant City Community Betterment, Flowers Unlimited, and the Oldtowne Cafe.

Pool Fundraiser October 18th

Grant City Community Betterment along with VFW and VFW Auxiliary will be hosting a Bingo Night and Soup Supper on Saturday, October 18th at the Worth County Fairgrounds Building. They will start serving at 5:30 pm and free will donations will be accepted for the soup supper.
Bingo will start at 7 pm and will be a 50% payback per game. All proceeds will go to the Pool Renovation Project.
Come join us for some good food and lots of fun.

Grant City Council Meeting: Around $20,000 Raised for Pool Renovation Project

Economic Developer Charity Austin reported to the council that people had donated over $18,000 for the pool renovation project so far. The council met with Auditor David Rowe to discuss how best the city could manage the project. He said that it was best if the city oversaw the project since the city owns the pool; therefore, he said that all the money had to come through the city. He said that it was OK for the city to transfer the $25,000 that they pledged from the Street Light Fund since it was a transfer to a user-based account. This brings the total amount pledged from city and private donors combined to $43,000. Persons wanting to make a donation can send it to the WCPO Pool Fund at PO Box 53, Grant City, MO 64456.
After the meeting, even more money was raised; Austin told the Sheridan Express that the fundraiser dinner before the Draft Horse Pull Sunday brought in another $1,500 in donations; she estimated that the amount of money donated to the pool project was close to $20,000 as of Monday.
Austin said that she planned to send out even more fundraising letters; she said that she had already sent out 250 fundraising letters to Worth County Alumni for the pool renovations. She said that Brock Pfost was willing to donate some of the piping for the project and that volunteer crews were working. Becky McElvain of the Pool Renovation Committee reported to the Express in an e-mail that the Worth County Football Team had worked on the pool Wednesday night; a new blog has been started to report on progress of the renovations. The address is http://www.grantcitypool.blogspot.com/. There will be work nights every Tuesday and Thursday nights; weekends might be added as work nights as well.
Rowe said that the city would have to keep track of volunteer hours performed and that the project would fall under prevailing wage guidelines, but City Attorney David B. Parman said that the Division of Labor was not going to care in Grant City’s case since there were no unions involved in the project.
The council voted to approve the contract with Snyder and Associates for the Downtown Renovation Project.
Public Works Director Carl Staton told the council that the city had put in a new fire hydrant by Worth County lumber, put in a tube by Bob Wilson’s, and had fixed some of the signs that were torn up by the vandalism sprees this year. He said that it would take a lot of loads of clay to fix up the baseball diamond; the city has agreed to donate labor to the project and Staton said he would meet with Chuck Borey to discuss what was needed. He reported that the work on the streets would start next week; he said that the city would need to fix McKinney Street, which has ruts, a sand base, no crown, and extensive truck traffic.
The council discussed doing level billing for gas customers and discussed the rules. Customers must have had a 12-month history, and delinquencies would null and void the contract. They would run for a 12-month period with refunds at the end of the 12-month period. Currently, the city is doing a trial run starting in August to work out any glitches in the system. Parman and council members said the plan would help with residents on fixed incomes who were having trouble paying high heating bills during the winter months by avoiding bills of as high as $350. City Attorney David Parman said that he would draw up a proposed contract for the council to look at next meeting.
The council voted to accept a bid for tire mulch for the pool park from Entire Recycling for $6,144.32 which was the only bidder for the project. There were two $500 donations to the project, which means that the Park Board will have almost $1,000 left over. Councilwoman Linda Phipps was not present; Cathy James made the motion to accept the bid. But councilmen Bruce Downing and Doug Pickering, who voted against donating the money at the last meeting, refused to second the motion; Mayor Debbie Roach reached Phipps by phone and Phipps seconded the motion, which resulted in a 2-2 split. Roach cast the tiebreaking vote in favor of the bid. The Park Board subsequently scheduled a work day on Saturday, August 2nd at 8:30 a.m. to put in the mulch; the board is calling for volunteers for the project. (Ad, Page 10)
Clerk Ayvonne Morin reported that the city did not receive any bids for the debris management plan; she said that she would note that in the city’s FEMA management book.
The council voted to donate $100 to the Worth County Fall Festival.
Councilman Bruce Downing asked why Windstream was not paying its franchise fees like Aquila/KCPL does with Grant City. "We have to give the phone company right of way and work around their phone lines," he said. "They are collecting a tax in our name, but the city is not getting a dime." City Attorney David Parman said that he would look into the matter.

Pool Fundraiser July 27th

The Pool Renovation Committee will be serving a Pork Supper before the Grant City Lion’s Club Horse Pull on Sunday, July 27th. Serving will begin at 5 pm and supper will include BBQ or Plain Pork Sandwich, Chips, Baked Beans, Dessert & Drinks. The cost is a free will donation with all proceeds going towards the renovation of the Pool. The supper is open to the public so please come join us for some good food.
There will be other fundraisers in the future and if you would like to give a donation to help renovate the pool please send to the Worth County Progress Pool Fund, PO Box 53, Grant City, MO 64456.

Grant City Council Discusses Possible Pool Renovation

At the last regular Grant City Council Meeting, the City Council was going to close the pool for good, citing rapid deterioration of the facility. But at a special meeting Wednesday involving City Council Members and Economic Developer Charity Austin, Craig and Gina McNeese did a presentation showing how similar pools have been renovated for $58,000 or less. And they said that the city could save even more if they were to eliminate zero depth entries. They said that with advancements in technology, pools similar to the state of the city pool could have their lives extended by around 25 years. For instance, a private pool in Plattsburg cost only $58,000 to renovate, and it would be less without zero depth entry.
And what’s more, Gina McNeese said that she had talked to a ton of people who had expressed willingness to donate to a pool renovation; "and that’s just me," she said. Time would not be a problem if there was enough volunteer labor; for instance, Plattsburg got their project done in 5 ½ to 6 weeks. And Brenda Parman, in attendance at the meeting, said that the shock value of the pool closing for the year would help bring in a lot of donations. By way of contrast, Gina McNeese said that it would cost the city $40,000 to get rid of the pool; "it’s just as expensive to remove the pool as it would be to renovate it," she said.
The key, according to Craig McNeese, was epoxy finish, which would keep the pool from falling apart the way that the Grant City pool did. Gina McNeese said that another good idea would be to keep water in the pool over the winter break. Another way to keep the pool from deteriorating has to do with outside pressure. Specifically, underground water from the outside of the pool creates pressure on the walls of the pool so that they would crack; creating buffer zones that the water could not get through would help solve that problem.
"We can do anything here if we set our mind to it," said Craig McNeese, citing the Carnegie trip and the Relay for Life event. He said that a lot was a matter of donated labor and basic masonry. McNeese said that the cleanliness of the renovated facility would be important, as would increased concession revenues. Gina McNeese added that most pools were not profitable anyway and that they had nothing to lose by offering a lot of specials to customers.
There were a number of suggestions raised about getting people on board with a swimming pool renovation and making it easier. For instance, if the city were to transfer the pool to a committee which would fix the pool and lease it back to the city, they might be able to work around the prevailing wage laws that drive up the cost of many such projects. Craig McNeese said that it would be best if repairs were completed before winter came on; while the possibility was remote, councilwoman Linda Phipps said that even if they could get the pool open for a month, it would be worth it. If the city were to turn the pool over to a private entity, for instance, they could still donate money to the project.
Another area of discussion was the shallow part of the pool. Participants said that they did not see a need for a zero access pool; Gina McNeese said that if they were to add that, they would reduce the shallow play area; she said that the large shallow area was one of the strengths of the pool. Craig McNeese suggested having steps into the pool as an option which would reduce space needed while allowing more disabled access.