Florence council gets crash course in meth lab education
Jeff Soyez of the Marion County Sheriff's office addressed the Florence City Council Monday about a property on Fourth Street which was identified over the weekend as a meth lab.
Two occupants of the house were arrested and the residence was condemned and sealed by law enforcement and the KDHE.
Soyez explained the legalities for clean up of the property to the council and assured them that the city would not bear the financial burden of the clean up.
He also gave them a detailed accounting of the dangers of meth labs to a community. He said that fire and EMS crews in small towns are often unprepared for the health risks when they enter a structure where meth is being cooked.
Soyez and Marion County Sheriff Lee Becker asked the council's assistance in providing a community meeting in Florence to try and raise awareness among residents. They said that 50 "dumps" had been found in the Florence vicinity in the last month alone. (A "dump" is the packaging and containers from the ingredients that go into meth production. Often meth is produced in cars on rural roads and the packaging is dumped in ditches, fields, or streams.)
Soyez and Becker also praised Florence police chief Creighton Smith for his determined pursuit of drug dealers and producers in the Florence community.
The council agreed to help facilitate a community meeting for the officers.
The council also voted to approve new insurance coverage for the water tower and the current city building when the policy is renewed in April. The water tower will be insured for an amount equal to the replacement cost of the structure and the city building will be covered for actual cash value.
Bill Henricks, the city's insurance agent, is still looking for coverage for the library building and will return at a future meeting with figures for insuring the structure.
In other business the council
— agreed to pay Hett Construction an additional $32,000 for the repairs at the intersections of 6th and Main and 8th and Main. Due to an error in reading the original bid, the council was not aware that it would owe the additional funds for the project.
— approved a request by Reilly Reed to purchase a used fire truck from the city of Wellington.
— met with Randy Dallke and Greg Wolf of Atmos Energy to discuss franchise fees and the services available from Atmos.
— tabled a decision on U-turns and J-turns on Main Street.
— heard from Sarah Cope that the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan had been signed by the attorney general, the last step in the approval process for the city of Florence.
— heard from city superintendent Stuart Funk that the water clarity is improving, but that the boil advisory must remain in effect.
