Hillsboro council authorizes design stage for new pool

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
With the tax authority now in hand to pay for the project, the Hillsboro City Council at a special meeting Tuesday authorized the start of the design stage for the proposed family aquatic center.

By unanimous vote, the council authorized Mayor Delores Dalke to sign a letter authorizing Burbach Aquatics Inc. of Platteville, Wis., to begin designing the new facility.

If the timeline continues as projected, bids for the $2.5 million project will be let in mid-August with the intent that construction will be complete in time for the start of the 2006 swimming season.

As part of the bond process, the council was told it needed to state a “not to exceed” dollar figure for the project. After some discussion, the council settled on $2.75 million as the maximum amount, but with the understanding that they would not spend more than the $2.5 million they reported to the public prior to the April 5 vote.

Mayor Dalke said it was important to make that expectation clear so that future councils would not use the additional money raised by the sales-tax increase for other recreation projects-as they legally could do.

“We don’t want someone to get loose with the money (in future years),” Dalke said.

The council discussed how the present and future pools would be staffed. Given the mandate for better planning and management that the aquatic center requires, the council is projecting the creation of a full-time position. During the off season, the manager would work in other capacities for the city that fit the person’s abilities and interests.

Garrett said his office has already received several applications for the position, some of which indicate significant pool-management experience. The appointment would begin with the 2005 swimming season.

Councilor Matt Hiebert said it was important to communicate to applicants that the city is looking for more than a one-year commitment. Garrett agreed with his comment.

The aquatic center was one of 13 city projects about which City Administrator Steven Garrett briefed the council. The other 12 were:

— Water treatment plant upgrades. Garrett said he and the project engineers have been pushing Rural Development to let them publish for bids in order to move the project forward. He expects to publish for bids next week and to award the winning bid at the May 17 council meeting.

— Cheese company. Garrett reported the city now owns the option for land on which Cottonwood Cheese Co. would establish its plant. He said he is pursuing a Community Development Block Grant to help pay for a pre-treatment facility for wastewater.

Garrett said the grant-application process has “a lot of hoops to jump through,” but he is confident the application will be complete by the June 3 deadline. The announcement about grant awards will be in mid-July.

— Sewer lagoon system. Garrett said seven of 12 test drillings have been made on the property recently acquired by the city, and it is possible seven will be enough to determine if the land is suitable for use. He said he expected to hear the results later in the week.

Garrett said some opposition to the project has surfaced. Concerns have been expressed about the possibility of a foul smell being emitted by the lagoons, about the effect of the lagoons on land values, and the possibility that a lagoon levy might collapse in the future.

Garrett said he is organizing a tour of an existing lagoon system in the area and plans to invite those with concerns, including some members of the Hillsboro Development Corp., to come along.

“I say if you have a question, let’s go get an answer,” Garrett said.

— Improving the city’s fire-insurance rating. Garrett said the city has met the requirements regarding water pressure and communications, and is “75 percent done” with updating training records. He hopes to complete the latter within the next couple of weeks; the next deadline is in fall.

A lower ISO rating would save homeowners money on insurance.

— Updating personnel policies for city staff. Garrett said the latest policy manual from the Kansas League of Municipalities has arrived, and he will need to compare it with current policies and practices before recommending its approval.

— Building code enforcement. City Attorney Dan Baldwin said Bryson Mills of Newton has expressed a willingness to serve as Hillsboro’s public hearing officer. The position is required when a property owner wants to appeal a decision by the city’s code-enforcement officer.

Baldwin said Mills is familiar with Marion County. Mills currently is municipal judge for Marion, Florence, Goessel and Peabody.

— City hall restroom renovation. Garrett said the project is complete except for a couple of mirrors that need to be installed.

Garrett said his next goal is to brighten the hallway between the library and city offices and to reduce the size of the hallway bulletin board to create room to display registration forms for city recreation programs.

— Family Festival. Dalke said several attractions within Heritage Park need paint and repair before the May 28 festival.

She also said invitations to attend the festival and all-school reunion have been sent “across the country.” She plans to send a personal thank-you card to those who indicate plans to come.

Noting a backlog of street repairs, Councilor Len Coryea asked if the city plans to complete the repairs in time for the festival. Garrett said city crews will “bust a gut” to get the work done.

— Main Street overlay. Garrett said he expects Phase III of the Main Street renovation project to start around the first week of May. The project involves replacing the water line and adding an asphalt overlay along three blocks of Main, from A Street to D Street.

He said that part of Main Street will be closed to traffic for only two days.

— Lincoln Street water line. Garrett said the city has permission to advertise for bids on the project, which involves replacing the water line from the former railroad right-of-way on North Lincoln to the south end of South Lincoln.

— City financial audit. The process is proceeding, Garrett said, and he expects the work to be done by late May or early June. Dalke said the timing is important because work on the 2006 budget will begin about that time.

— Comprehensive plan. Garrett said the Hillsboro Planning Commission is making progress on updating the city’s comprehensive plan. Garrett praised the leadership of consultant John Riggs, who is trying to make the plan understandable and useful.

Dalke said once the Planning Commission finishes its work, it will be important for the council to study the plan carefully before approving it.

“Weird things happen every time (the plan is updated),” she said. “It’s a lot better to resolve problems before the plan is approved than after it’s approved.”

In other business, the council:

— approved a change in the city’s building code that would enable Hillsboro Community Medical Center to build its new entrance without having to update the entire facility to meet current requirements for fire-protection systems.

Without the exception, Dalke said, HCMC could not afford to proceed with its building project because the cost of upgrading the rest of the facility would be prohibitive.

Dalke said other cities frequently make exceptions to the International Building Code, which Hillsboro has adopted. This is the first time Hillsboro has done so.

— heard from Garrett that the city street crew made its first attempt Monday to use a new method to repair potholes. Rather than simply filling the holes with asphalt, a larger section of the street is cut out and removed, and a sealant is added before the asphalt is replaced.

The new method was attempted on East First Street, just off of Main Street.

More from article archives
EDITORIAL
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN As our county commissioners pursue the notion of finding money...
Read More