Engineer addresses Florence City Council
Stuart Porter, Schwab-Eaton engineer for the Florence water plant project attended the Florence City Council meeting Monday night and addressed the council's concerns about the cracks in the deck of the new clear well.
Porter said the structural integrity of the deck was sound despite the cracks. He said currently the cracks do not pose a hazard, but conceded that over time the freeze and thaw process will make the cracks more prominent if they aren't sealed.
He presented the council with information on a bonding agent successfully used on large metal buildings such as Wal-Mart stores, where gaps may appear at the seams.
Porter said his research showed the bonding agent is the best the market currently has to offer. He said the manufacturer has been in business for 10 years so there is no history to support a 20-year warranty on the product as the council had requested.
Councilman Randy Mills expressed his displeasure with the fact the city had to deal with the problem at all.
"Why should we as a city be grappling with this problem?" he asked. "I don't think we should have to pay for an inferior product and then pay for additional repairs to it every five years or so."
Porter agreed to take the council's concerns back to his company and see if a solution could be reached that would provide the city with some assurance that it would not bear the cost of additional repair work during the next several decades.
"I don't want this council to tie some future council to perpetual repairs," said Mills.
Porter said he hoped to have a solution agreeable to both parties by the next council meeting.
Councilman Tim Parmley announced effective April 12 he had been elected Florence fire chief, but he had decided he would not resign from the city council.
Parmley noted that assistant chief Larry Creamer had agreed to address the council about department issues during Parmley's tenure as chief.
Parmley said he had researched the regulations of the Kansas League of Municipalities and the Florence city ordinances and no where was there a ruling preventing him from serving both positions.
The council held a 30-minute executive session for the purpose of discussing personnel. City clerk Darla Gore was invited into the session 10 minutes after it began.
After the council returned to open session and completed its agenda, Lehman asked the council to address issues taken up during the executive session.
Ed Robinson moved the council approve a plan to close the city building at noon each day beginning April 26 to give Gore a chance to catch up on city book work. The new schedule will remain in effect indefinitely.
In addition, Parmley made a motion that the council keep police chief Merlin Stout on suspension until June 22 and schedule a special meeting the same day for the purpose of discussing Stout's employment with the city.
Both motions carried unanimously.
In other business, the council:
— heard the new restrooms at Grandview Park should be completed this week.
— approved warrants in the amount of $37,233.33.
— heard from Mills regarding the city's need to have an ordinance on the range of salaries for each of its salaried positions and its hourly wage positions. Mills will compare Florence wages with cities the same size and present a draft for council consideration at a future meeting. Mills also will work on an ordinance for the housing authority and a resolution to define the city's relationship with the library board.
— heard a proposal from Jeff Vulgamore for an online bill paying plan for the city's utility customers. The council tabled consideration of the service indefinitely.
— approved a $250 purchase of two tires by the fire department.
— heard from Sarah Cope who said the city planning commission would like to see the standards board become an effective committee once again. Mills agreed to look at the history of the organization and see how its membership has been structured in the past.
— agreed to find someone to look at lights at the ball park to determine whether they need to be repaired or replaced. The council also agreed to have mowing done at the park and pay for it from the usage fees paid by ball teams.
