There was a long list of items considered on the consent agenda, but much of it got settled in one fell swoop at the regular monthly meeting of West Plains City Council, held Monday.
It was also the last meeting of the year, so some of the night's business was dedicated to completing budget matters and passing bills to become ordinances.
Ten bids for materials and services on city projects were approved. They included steel structure components for the Lincoln Street electrical substation rebuild on the advice of Toth & Associates Consulting Engineers, from Parks Metal Fabricators, Inc., for $91,878.81. Competing bids were DIS-TRAN Steel Fabrication at $121,509, Klute Steel Fabrication at $123,483.49 and Doing Steel Fabrication at $125,943.
A bid for brush chipping at the Solid Waste Transfer Station was accepted from the only company to submit a bid, Agricycle, at $43,900. Once the brush has been chipped, it will be available for sanitation customers to load for themselves, free of charge.
Padmount and polemount electrical transformers for inventory came in at $90,522 from Harry Cooper Supply Company. Competing bids were submitted from Sunbelt Solomon at $124,045, Midwest at $33,375, UTB at $119,309 and Fletcher Reinhardt at $96,035.
A utilities office remodel is in the works. Masonry work will be done by Walker Masonry for $38,750; rejected bids were Joe Howell Masonry at $42,500 and Phoenix Builders and More at $50,528.
Doors and windows for the utilities warehouse will be provided by Mo-Ark Glass for $21,014. A competitor, TnT Glass, did not submit a bid. For the same building, a bid for spray foam insulation was accepted from Ozark Foam Insealators for $21,850; the competing bid was B&B for $27,550.95, and A&A Roofing did not submit a bid.
Woodson, Inc., will clear utilities right-of-ways in the West Plains 3 and Southern Hills Substation, as well as the Lanton Road area, for $117,236.71, as recommended by Toth and Associates. Keeley Construction submitted a bid of $233,576.
MC Materials submitted the only bid to provide ready-mix concrete for city projects, with a range of $166 to $180 per yard of various bag mixes, a $45-per-truck short load fee, a $30-per-drop fee, and $6 per yard for 1% calcium additive and $12 per yard of 2% calcium.
Both bids for gravel were approved due to varying jobsite locations for the 2024 fiscal year, purchasing agent Kristopher Bates explained. Companies submitting bids were MC Materials and Indian Creek Materials.
Next year's mowing contract went to Fresh Cuts Lawncare, an extension of the 2023 contract, at $172,260, beginning April 1 and ending Nov. 30.
Olson Precast was the only bidder for concrete blocks to be used to complete a creek drainage project off of Grace Avenue, at $47,600.
The printing of the tourism department's Explore West Plains visitor guidebooks was awarded to Bresse Printing for $26,114.13, plus $4,000 in shipping. Competing bidders were Colorgraphic Printing at $64,535.88 plus $625 shipping and Horse Trader for $37,007.79, with shipping to be determined. The cost is for 20,000 guidebooks.
To finish up consent agenda items Planning and Zoning Board member reappointments were approved, each a four-year term to expire in December 2027, for John Kenslow, Terry Sanders, Britany McDaniel and Gus Ramseur.
A liquor license was issued for Dev's Steakhouse Piano Bar and Lounge, 37 Court Square, which is set to open for business on Friday.
Ordinances passed included an amended Fiscal Year 2023 budget, with $4,532,517 in revenue and $4,481,017 in expenditures. An ordinance was also passed allowing the city to enter into a contract with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission "providing for the installation of traffic signal components to be maintained by the commission." The components are described as traffic signal batteries, designed to keep traffic signals operational in case of power outage.
The adoption of updated building codes was also approved. City Building Official & Zoning Administrator Dustin Harrison explained the adoption of the International Codes, which include the 2021 Building Code, is done routinely and the department waited to adopt it this year to make sure there would be no updates that would have to be considered, noting it isn’t uncommon for changes to be made to the codes.
A supplemental change to an agreement between the city and the Missouri Department of Transportation, increasing MoDOT's financial commitment to the construction and maintenance of a new railroad overpass to be built along U.S. 160/Independence Avenue was approved.
It will add $250,000 to the commitment from MoDOT Multi-Modal, bringing it to $2,500,000, and also updates the anticipated start of construction to 2024.
In a letter to City Administrator Sam Anselm, Project Coordinator Michael McMahon explained under the agreement the city will be responsible for the initial construction of the overpass; once complete, MoDOT will take over ownership and maintenance of it.
Next to be voted on were four resolutions, all of them passing. The first was an agreement between Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative and the City of West Plains outlining the responsibilities of each party in the sharing of electrical transmissions systems. A final version of a four-year capital improvement plan beginning in 2024 and running through 2028 was adopted. City Finance Director Earlene Rich noted the plan has not changed since it was last presented in September.
A resolution for the city to enter into an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration passed, allowing the FAA land rights in order to "operate and maintain three facilities in support of" airport operations. The last of the resolutions passed was an agreement between the city and the U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) regarding the use of Butler Children's Park as an all-inclusive park. The resolution corrects a stipulation on the park deed that was previously left out, that the property be used exclusively for outdoor recreational use. The stipulation is required by the LWCF in order to receive grant money, administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Details of ordinances and resolutions passed may be viewed online at the City of West Plains website, westplains.gov. From the homepage click on "City Government," then "Council Agenda." Items highlighted in blue may be clicked on to view documents.
The meeting concluded with a report from Anselm. He reminded all that city services would be impacted by the upcoming Christmas holiday, and that trash normally picked up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday next week.
