Spring clean-up scheduled for May 12-19
by MATT HUGHES
J-E News Editor
Sebree’s city council moved forward on Monday night with plans to update the city’s water lines, awarding three job and material bids totalling just over $1.2 million dollars.
The project, will replace a 35,000 feet of outdated and often leaky water lines within the city, and replace 160 water meters with new ‘radio read’ meters, which will allow a city employee to check the meters simply by driving passed in a vehicle equipped with the proper equipment. This is technology that the city is already currently using to read most of it’s meters.
“We had a really good bid opening,” said Jim Hilborn with GRW Engineers of Nashville, TN, the company that engineered the project. “We got some really good prices.”
The low bidder for the water line replacement portion of the work was Grimes Construction Company Inc., and although they received Hilborn’s recommendation, it came with a little clarification. Due to “low bidder’s experience and performance record on other utility contract” the recommendation required approval from the agency funding the project.
The council voted 5-0 to award the $1,174,734.50 bid to Grimes Construction.
Other bids awarded went to G & C Supply Company for 160 radio read meters ($19,809.50) and United Systems and Software for the Meter End Points ($11,520.00).
According to Hilborn, the $1.2 million cost will put the city well under their budget of $1.9 million, leaving a lot of money in the project’s contingency fund.
In other business, council members voted to hold the city’s annual spring cleanup the week of May 12, 2014. City employee Emery Thomas suggested instead of doing cleanup for five days, which the usual schedule, that the city extend it til the following Monday. Council members agreed, voting to schedule the cleanup from May 12 through the 19.
This year the city will be accepting tires (from residents only) and some wood products, but they still cannot take building materials or hazardous materials.
The council voted to make an application to the Department of Local Government for a grant to assist in purchasing new playground equipment. That purchase is expected to cost $47,118.95, with the grant covering half of the cost. There will be a public hearing in the council chambers on Thursday April 10, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. to get the opinions of city residents.
Cheryl Tanner and Kevin Ranes, both teachers at Sebree Elementary, recently contacted the city about using city owned property on Railroad Street to construct a 4’X8’ garden bed for their students.
“My question is, will the school board provide us with a certificate of insurance,” asked city attorney Dorin Luck. “I always worry about liability.”
“We will check on that,” said Mayor Ozzie O’Nan. “We can address that at our next meeting still be in time for them to do what they need to do.”
Summerfest in Sebree has been scheduled for June 13 and 14.