Council tours city facilities

The McCook City Council spent three hours Saturday touring city facilities to help members better understand the intricate details of running a city.

As part of an orientation program for the new council members, several interested parties, including engineers and city employees, joined the tour of the wastewater treatment facility, the McCook Business Park area, the city shop area, the 4 million gallon water storage facility, the public safety building, the library, the water tower at East Fifth Street, the swimming pool and the airport terminal.

The first facility the group toured was the city's wastewater treatment facility. Wastewater Superintendent Larry Dickie was on hand to guide the group through a tour of the plant.

Dickie pointed out several renovations at the plant, including a new building that houses a grit pumping and washing system and a new concrete cascade structure to increase oxygen levels in the final phase of treating the water.

From there, the tour continued past the McCook Business Park, where the group heard about the upcoming improvements in the area, and on to the municipal airport.

The group was told about improvements provided by the Federal Aviation Administration. Those improvements included glass screening and two pieces of equipment used to detect explosive materials.

The group also was told the city had received a letter of intent from an air ambulance service to locate at the McCook Airport.

Public Works Director Marty Conroy told the group the service, using conventional airplanes, would bring 10-12 employees to the city with a salary range of $40,000 a year.

The first phase of locating the company in McCook will be brought before the City Council tonight, when it will be asked to approve the application for a no-interest construction loan for a 100- foot by 120-foot hangar to house the business.

Conroy said the money spent by the city on the hangar would be recovered through the company's rental payments.

The tour's next stop was the 1-million gallon water tower on East First Street. City Council members were told the tower is expected to be painted inside and out during the current fiscal year.

From there, the group was taken to McCook's 4-million gallon water tank on South Street. Council members toured the pumping building, where the water is pumped from the storage tank to the water towers.

The group was given an explanation on the distribution of city water from the well field south of McCook to the water towers by water superintendent Jim Hager.

Conroy told the council he was impressed with the work Hager has done for the city.

"Without (pumping the wells) the way he has, McCook could have easily reached nitrate levels of 20 parts per million or better," Conroy said. "By managing the wells the way he has, he has saved the city a lot of headaches."

The group then toured the water shop and the street maintenance department before moving on to the city swimming pool.

The work being done on the pool was explained to the group. The plumbing throughout the pool has been completely replaced and, the group was told, the pool surface will be sandblasted, the cracks filled and the entire surface will be repainted.

Chris Miller of Miller and Associates was on hand to explain the planned improvements to the bath house. The face of the bathhouse will remain. However, improvements would be made to make the building handicap accessible. Those improvements will include a lift for easier access to the pool.

The next stop was the McCook Library where library director Patty Hall pointed out areas she would like to see improved. Those improvements include an elevator which would make the basement accessible.

The final stop was the McCook Public Safety Center. Police Chief Ike began the tour with an explanation of a new computer that links his office to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The tour also include a walk-through of the city jail facilities, the proposed location of the new E-911 system and the dispatcher's area.