|
|
|
For an upcoming winter, the “Farmers’ Almanac” is forecasting as “clime and punishment,” the City of Washington has begun its preparation for a winter that some forecasters are predicting could be worse than last year.
At the Nov. 7 city council meeting, the city approved a contract with Scott Weaver & Son Trucking & Excavating to handle all of the city’s plowing needs for city alleys and parking lots.
The contract states Weaver will be paid a total of $850 — $450 for parking lots and $400 for alleys — for every “snow event.” While that definition is purely up to the city to define, Public Services Manager Bill Bimrose said a “snow event” is typically two or more inches of snow.
Snow removal from parking lots is to be completed within three hours of notification from the city, while removal from all designated alleys should be completed within three hours following the completion of the parking lots.
Weaver was the only one to submit a bid.
Last year’s rate for Weaver was $650 per “snow event.”
“Scott actually did it at that price for two years and we structured the bid packages this year that if he’s willing to hold that price we’d renew with him for two more years,” said City Administrator Bob Morris.
In other items, the board:
• Heard a first reading on an ordinance for a contract renewal with Tazewell County Animal and Rabies Control.
TCARC will provide animal and rabies control services for the calendar year 2012 as well as responding to calls of animals running at large, notifying owners and impounding the animals and making both regular and irregular patrols within city limits once a week.
The cost for the services provided has increased 1.5 percent from $13,163 to $13,360, which according to the release, “represents the increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers.”
The fiscal year 2011-12 budget for the services was $13,400.
Second reading and adoption is scheduled for the Nov. 21 council meeting.
• Heard about the progress of the Police Station Renovation Project from Alderman Jim Gee, who said construction of the top level of the station was completed Oct. 28.
The public entrance is now upstairs with the Chief of Police’s office and others, including a training room and dispatch.
Gee said the moving of dispatch from the lower level to the upper level, which had to be coordinated with the Morton Police Department, “went relatively smooth.”
For an upcoming winter, the “Farmers’ Almanac” is forecasting as “clime and punishment,” the City of Washington has begun its preparation for a winter that some forecasters are predicting could be worse than last year.
At the Nov. 7 city council meeting, the city approved a contract with Scott Weaver & Son Trucking & Excavating to handle all of the city’s plowing needs for city alleys and parking lots.
The contract states Weaver will be paid a total of $850 — $450 for parking lots and $400 for alleys — for every “snow event.” While that definition is purely up to the city to define, Public Services Manager Bill Bimrose said a “snow event” is typically two or more inches of snow.
Snow removal from parking lots is to be completed within three hours of notification from the city, while removal from all designated alleys should be completed within three hours following the completion of the parking lots.
Weaver was the only one to submit a bid.
Last year’s rate for Weaver was $650 per “snow event.”
“Scott actually did it at that price for two years and we structured the bid packages this year that if he’s willing to hold that price we’d renew with him for two more years,” said City Administrator Bob Morris.
In other items, the board:
• Heard a first reading on an ordinance for a contract renewal with Tazewell County Animal and Rabies Control.
TCARC will provide animal and rabies control services for the calendar year 2012 as well as responding to calls of animals running at large, notifying owners and impounding the animals and making both regular and irregular patrols within city limits once a week.
The cost for the services provided has increased 1.5 percent from $13,163 to $13,360, which according to the release, “represents the increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers.”
The fiscal year 2011-12 budget for the services was $13,400.
Second reading and adoption is scheduled for the Nov. 21 council meeting.
• Heard about the progress of the Police Station Renovation Project from Alderman Jim Gee, who said construction of the top level of the station was completed Oct. 28.
The public entrance is now upstairs with the Chief of Police’s office and others, including a training room and dispatch.
Gee said the moving of dispatch from the lower level to the upper level, which had to be coordinated with the Morton Police Department, “went relatively smooth.”
The move, which took place Oct. 31, forced calls coming into Washington’s dispatch to be directed to Morton for a better part of the day, but Gee said Washington had one radio console up by 6 p.m.
The eastern half of the lower level is the next section to be worked on following asbestos removal. Construction will begin Nov. 29 and take about 60 working days to finish.
Construction will include implementation of three jail cells and a booking area.
• Heard from City Planning and Development Director Jon Oliphant on the necessity to enter into a new agreement with the City of East Peoria over new boundary lines separating Washington and East Peoria.
The current agreement was adopted in 1997 and is set to expire in 2017 according to state statute.
Oliphant said the new agreement would help clean up any “discrepancies” between the two versions each city has followed since 1997.
The new agreement would be effective for 20 years.
A first reading for the boundary agreement is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 5 with a second reading and possible adoption scheduled for Dec. 19, while the City of East Peoria’s schedule would be similar.
