City council to attend meeting
Despite the fact that they won't have all of the information the community is hoping to find out about the cost of a new city building, the Florence city council voted to attend this Sunday's question and answer forum sponsored by the Florence Chamber of Commerce.
Florence mayor Jeanie Meirowsky put the question of attendance to the council. "I don't know exactly what we can give them in the way of information," she said. " By the 24th we won't know anymore than we do now as far as finances are concerned. But the Chamber seems to think a meeting should be held and they have scheduled this one, so the council needs to decide whether or not it wants to take part."
Larry Timm said that he felt it would be a great idea for the community to have some input into the question of whether or not a new city building should be built. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to be there," he said. "I have a commitment with the church that has been on the calendar for a long time." Timm is minister of the Community Church at Cedar Point. He acknowledged his support of the council's plan to build a new city building. "I'll send a note of my support," he said. "I will express my approval of the plan and our commitment to the project." Timm also agreed with Meirowsky that there would not be enough information available to provide the kind of answers he thought people would be asking.
Bev Baldwin noted that she felt the council members should be in attendance if that is what the community wants. She also felt that the entire council should be present along with the mayor. "I think it's either all the council or none," she said. "It shouldn't just be the mayor, or the mayor and one other member."
Barbara O'Dell agreed that the council should be available at the meeting, but she added that she was in favor of only discussing the issue before the council. "I would stipulate that we only address whether or not the city should build a new city building."
With council member Dan Ludwig absent, the three attending members voted 3-0 to attend the community meeting at the Florentine Center Sunday afternoon.
Mayor Meirowsky told the council that Josh Whitwell is still interested in working with the city to host Pee Wee football games on the old football field in Florence. The school district and city both signed a "conditional deed" on the property, which gives the city of Florence ownership, but not the right to sell or develop the land at any future date. Whitwell told the mayor he is still willing to be responsible for getting the field in shape and for its upkeep. Scheduling of the football games for 5th and 6th graders will begin soon and Whitwell said he was anxious to include the Florence site on the schedule.
Meirowsky asked the council members if they had viewed the lot for the proposed building. She said that Grosse Construction, the company that demolished the house on the lot, would return to re-work the surface and fill any low areas. She encouraged the council to look over the lot and voice any concerns before the city signs off on the work that has been done.
The council heard a report from Police Chief Howard Kahler on repeater mobile radio systems that would provide better communication between the Florence Police department, the Marion County dispatcher, and other police departments in the county.
City Superintendent Stuart Funk received permission to order a new radio microphone for a city worker, to purchase a sewer machine cover, and offer the job of mowing the cemetery to Joseph Koehn for the same contract amount as paid in 2001.
Councilman Timm announced that the hardware for the new playground equipment had arrived. He said that he would begin ordering lumber and organizing some volunteers to get the equipment installed.
