Florence looking for solutions for costly purchases

Florence residents inquired about a dilapidated hot tub filled with trash on Fifth Street near the downtown area at the July 2 council meeting. The family who left the hot tub on the street said they expected the one-man operated garbage truck to remove it, which wasn't possible based on the size of the truck. As of late last week, the eyesore was removed, and if the city took care of it, the residents are still obligated to pay for that service. Patty Decker / Free Press

The Florence City Council continues searching for the best options to fix or buy some costly items in the near future.

One of the most expensive endeavors could be levee certification and accreditation by two federal agencies, and last week Council member Trayce Warner said the city met with three different engineering firms to get the process going.

“Each of these three firms,” she said, “will provide certification that the levee is capable of withstanding a 100-year flood, and once they sign off on the certification, then it is up to FEMA to certify the levee is safe.”

According to information from these engineering companies, Warner said that if the council chooses not to go ahead with the certification, anyone owning property with a government supported mortgage, or purchasing a new property, or a business downtown, all would be required to purchase flood insurance.

“FEMA would map Florence as having no flood protection as if there was no levee present,” she said.

But Warner did say there are several steps to the process to include reviewing the existing documents regarding the levee, checking out the gates and flaps, checking erosion control, taking core samples of the materials used to build it and more.

“If everything is up to the standards set by FEMA the engineers would certify the dike and pass that information on to FEMA who would then accredit the levee and map Florence as protected,” she said.

Although none of the engineering firms who looked at the levee last week offered any actual quotes, their estimates, she said, range from a little less than $100,000 to as much as $200,000.

“None of this includes any construction that might have to be done to bring the levee up to certification level, and we have made no decisions about whether we will go ahead with the certification process,” she said.

In addition to needing levee certification and accreditation, the city is facing other high-dollar ticket items to include a new trash truck at $150,000, fixing water plant problems and replacing water and sewer lines.

The council further approved raising utility rates on water and sewer lines and trash rates to cover the repairs and fixes needed.

Another problem is access to the city’s water with the 4.4 acres of property to it owned by the Deforest family if the council and family cannot find a suitable compromise regarding a new contract after May 2019 when the 99-year lease expires.

Mayor Bob Gayle at the July 2 council meeting also wanted to let the 25-plus residents attending that everyone should remember these are neighbors and the level of discontent at previous meetings isn’t productive or helpful in resolving the issues all of the city faces.

“Going forward in future meetings, if you have a topic that you want to address the council about, call Janet Robinson by noon Thursday prior to the next council meeting,” Gayle said.

Gayle said Robinson as city clerk would ask the caller what it is they would like to discuss, and it would be placed on the agenda.

“Doing it this way,” he said, “the council will have time to do whatever research is needed so that they might do as good a job as possible to address concerns.”

The next Florence Council meeting is July 23.

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