City Council awards bid for Senior Center project

While the construction project on the Heritage Senior Center is moving forward, moving the facility during the construction has been temporarily put on hold.

The McCook City Council agreed 4-1, Monday night to award the bid for the remodeling project to Paulsen Inc. in the amount of $744,270.

The original bid by Paulsen was reduced when the council voted unanimously not to move the garage that houses the McCook Handibus.

A second amendment to reduce the price of the project by using asphalt parking lot rather than concrete was made by Councilman Dick Trail, but died due to a lack of a second.

The bid process was put on hold during the last city council meeting, when all bids came in higher than the project costs estimated by the engineer. The council asked Dave Wilson, project engineer with W Design Associates, and city administrators to take the bids back to the two lowest bidders -- Paulsen Inc. and McCook Contracting -- and renegotiate the bids.

Paulsen's bid was $733,070 for the project, plus $4,450 to move the garage and an additional $11,200 for the concrete parking lot. McCook Contracting's bid came in at $729,150 plus $6,805 to move the garage and $27,905 for the concrete parking lot.

City engineer Greg Wolford with W Design encouraged the council to accept the alternative of a concrete parking lot. He told them the lot would greatly reduce maintenance costs. "The city has trouble finding money for maintenance," and the concrete parking lot would eliminate the worry of finding money for repairs at this particular lot, he said.

The decision to enter a contract with the Assembly of God Church was tabled until City Attorney Daylene Bennett could further investigate the city's insurance responsibilities and city administrators could check into the cost of minor renovations that would be required at the facility. The council also heard a report from Yvonne McConnell of the Meadowbrook Insurance Group on the city's liability and casualty insurance through the League Association of Risk Management. At the urging of the city's current insurance agent, Larry Eisenmenger with MNB Insurance, Councilman Phil Lyons asked that a consultant be hired to assess the city's insurance needs. The council agreed and asked city administrators to bring cost information back to the table. Red Willow County Commissioner Leigh Hoyt approached the council during the citizens forum portion of the meeting to ask the city's help in cutting down on trash being found in road ditches around the county. Councilman Lyons pointed out that local residents can place anything but "white goods" in the alley behind their home and call the city for pick up. Hoyt said the county is looking at ways the county can help in disposing of property that contains coolants, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. The council asked city administrators to work with the county to come up with a plan to eliminate the problem.

During the Council Comments portion of the meeting, Public Works Director Marty Conroy told council members Southwest Public Health Department is applying for a grant that would pay for paving the Kelly Creek Walking Trail between East Fifth and H Street.

The city would be responsible for the labor in laying the concrete and the grant would pay for the actual cost of the materials.

If the City Parks Board approves the grant application, the council will conduct a special meeting to vote on the grant application. The deadline for the grant is June 23.

In other action, the council:

- Approved a special exception for a daycare center at 712 West 12th Street. Owners Brad and Jane Hickenbottom asked the council to approve the special exception for a daycare for up to 52 children.

- Set the dates for budget hearings for Wednesday, July 9 and Monday through Thursday, July 14-17.

- Authorized the completion of street improvements on Wedgewood Drive at an estimated cost of $24,000 and West E Street at an estimated cost of $65,000 to be paid for with sales tax funds. The remaining sales tax funds will then be allocated to the B Street project and complete street improvements on East 11th from B to J Street.

- Approved an ordinance designating a planned development project to be known as The Villas of Heritage Hills on third and final reading.

- Approved an ordinance amending the city's code in regards to trees on third and final reading.