Council approves spray features for new pool
Questions charges for freight, installation
Staff reporter
Marion City Council stuck by their guns Monday and only approved what the council had previously determined to spend for spray features at the new indoor swimming pool.
Councilmen Gene Winkler, Stacey Collett, and Jerry Kline attended a meeting with city and school officials to discuss the types of water features or toys for the pool.
The council had allotted a total of $40,000 for the spray features. At the meeting, the group was told installation was included in the pricing so more features were chosen to spend the $40,000.
The group determined the types of toys with bids being gathered from two companies for comparable equipment. Those bids were $39,322 from Terra Pad Inc. and $39,355 from Water Play. The main difference was the equipment from Water Play were flush with the concrete while the equipment from Terra Pad were on pedestals.
Another option included the installation of pump, electrical, and plumbing equipment for an additional cost. Winkler said he was under the impression that the prices included installation. Collett agreed.
It was noted that the freight for the equipment was $2,672, which Winkler called "outrageous."
The council approved the purchase from Water Play for $39,355 with more information being sought regarding the additional costs for installation.
In other business:
— A circus was approved by the council to be held May 16 on city property by the baseball complex on Eisenhower Drive. The event will benefit Central Park Improvement Committee.
— The council approved a contract with engineers Bucher, Willis and Ratliff for the Safe Routes to School Project.
The city will be responsible for up to $20,000 for the design concept of the $200,000 project.
Kansas Department of Transportation will be responsible for seeking and approving bids which will be let in the fall.
Councilman Stacey Collett asked if the sidewalk project will be completed before Cedar Street and Eisenhower Drive improvements are made. It was determined that the sidewalks would probably begin in the fall but would not be finished until 2009.
— Casey Case of Case & Son Insurance Company of Marion presented the city's insurance policy for the coming year. The city saw another decrease of $4,000 from the previous year for premium costs. The total premium was $85,181.
— The council approved a payment of $10,864 to Hett Construction for work completed on a building at the industrial park.
— Volunteers are needed to serve on the city's auditorium advisory board. Bob Brookens reported to the council that only one member of the former auditorium board was interested in serving. The purpose of the board was to define the use of the city building, Brookens said.
— Cemetery board chairman Bud Hannaford presented a report that included information about the activities of the board which included all treasury actions to go through the city.
He said the primary functions of the board were to maintain the cemetery and update cemetery records.
Recently a meeting was held between city officials, mayor Mary Olson, the cemetery board, and Zeiner Funeral Home to determine the roles each entity should play. Hannaford also said he has heard comments of concern about the overall appearance of the cemetery.
There were 37 grave openings in 2007, and Tyson Heidebrecht was being trained as cemetery sexton.
— A 10-minute executive session for personnel was held with city administrator David Mayfield, police chief Josh Whitwell, and the council. The session was extended another 10 minutes.
The meeting reconvened with no decisions.
— The council held a 10-minute executive session for attorney-client privilege with Baldwin and Mayfield. The meeting reconvened with no decisions.
— Another 10-minute executive session was held for personnel with just the council. The meeting reconvened with no decisions.
The next council meeting will be at 4 p.m. April 7 at the city building.
