Tuesday, February 21, 2012

02/06/2012 Approved City Commission Meeting Minutes

MONDAY

FEBRUARY 06, 2012

The Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular Session in the Commission Room located in City Hall.

PRESENT: Jeff Taylor Mayor
Bill Hlavachick Commissioner Victor Graf Commissioner
Karen Detwiler Commissioner

ALSO PRESENT: Dave Howard City Manager
LuAnn Kramer City Clerk
Ken Van Blaricum City Attorney
Diana Garten Finance Director
Gary Myers Police Chief
Russell Rambat Public Works Director
Brad Blankenship Building Inspector
Kelly Hemphill Dir. of Electric Utilities
Bruce Pinkall Recreation Director

CALL TO ORDER:

The Mayor called the Regular session to order. Mayor Taylor instructed the Clerk to note that all Commissioners were present with the exception of Commissioner Skaggs.

INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:

Mayor Taylor led the staff and audience in an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.

MINUTES:

A motion by Commissioner Detwiler to approve the minutes of the January 16, 2012 regular Commission meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Graf and carried unanimously.

OPEN AGENDA – 1:

• Youth Rally:

Youth Pastor Adam Erickson commented that, in the past, a Youth Rally at the Municipal Building consisted of indoor activities and was open to the public. Pastor Erickson stated that they would like to have a dodge ball tournament this year; therefore, moving the event outdoors in the middle school parking lot. Pastor Erickson explained that they would like to have South Jackson Street closed from Third Street to Fourth Street from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on April 25th. Pastor Erickson added that the event was from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., but the extra time would allow for clean-up and they would be moving inside after the tournament for a skit on the stage and music.

Mayor Taylor questioned if this would be a problem. Recreation Director Bruce Pinkall and Public Works Director Russell Rambat commented that they could put up one barricade until bank and school employees leave after 5:00 p.m. and then pull out a second one to block off the street so no one can get through or go around the barricades. Police Chief Gary Myers agreed that it should not be a problem. Mayor Taylor questioned how many usually attend this event. Pastor Erickson stated that approximately 150 to 200. Mr. Rambat added that they would put a couple of polycarts on the corner to avoid any trash issues.

Commissioner Hlavachick made a motion to honor the request for a Youth Rally on April 25th and to close South Jackson Street from Third Street to Forth Street from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Detwiler and carried unanimously.

• Relay for Life request:

Relay for Life Coordinator Kerry Boldt requested that the Commission consider allowing the Relay for Life to use meeting rooms at either the Municipal Building or Community Center at no charge. Ms. Boldt explained that they have monthly meetings to organize the Relay for Life in August. Mayor Taylor commented that they had allowed it before. Mr. Pinkall stated that it had worked out well, but they would need to coordinate it with the Recreation office. Ms. Boldt stated that that would not be a problem.

A motion by Commissioner Detwiler to allow the meetings to take place as Ms. Kerry Boldt stated. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Graf and carried unanimously.

BUSINESS:

CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF THE PURCHASE OF A BACK-UP COMPUTER SERVER FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Police Chief Gary Myers explained that the Law Enforcement Center had taken a major lightning strike last August, which resulted in losing the server to their email and main servers. Chief Myers stated that the back-up server was ‘robbed’ of parts to get the system back on-line to operating standards, but that attempt failed and eventually the server had to be replaced. Chief Myers added that they had not replaced the back-up server yet, but had gone out for a bid. Chief Myers stated that they received a bid from Q-Tech and explained that there were no other vendor bids requested due to criminal regulations and clearance that Q-Tech had already received. Chief Myers added that Q-Tech was the originator of the server.

Chief Myers stated that there were no budgeted funds for this purchase since they would be using forfeiture funds. Mayor Taylor questioned if this was the entire price and if there was that much in the forfeiture fund. Chief Myers stated that it was the entire price and they did have the funds. Mr. Greg Garrison from Q-Tech commented that that was actually for hardware only and the labor would be part of their current agreement.

Commissioner Hlavachick stated that this was a necessary piece of equipment and made a motion to approve the purchase of a back-up server for $26,580 from Quality Tech Inc. to come out of the special police fund. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Graf and carried unanimously.

DISCUSSION ON WITHERS INDUSTRIAL PARK DEVELOPMENT:

City Manager Dave Howard commented that Mr. Dale Withers had oilfield speculations, as did many others, so he was duplicating the 7,500 square foot shops and building more. Mr. Howard explained that Mr. Withers would be annexing half of one lot and a piece of another along Highway 54 that would be developed and zoned Commercial Highway Service District and the other area would be zoned Heavy Industrial. Mr. Howard added that this would allow Mr. Withers to maximize as many buildings to lease as possible. Mr. Howard commented that a Wetherford Company, a business that Mr. Withers had been dealing with, anticipates creating forty to sixty jobs.

Mr. Howard explained that he had proposed to Mr. Withers that, in turn for annexing the property, we would lay the sanitary sewer. Mr. Howard pointed out the sewer and water lines by the hotel and explained that Public Works Director Russell Rambat and Water Superintendent Kelvin Clay would be overseeing the project. Mr. Howard added that the cost would be approximately $16,000 by doing this project by our own forces.

Mr. Howard stated that there would be fifty (50) acres annexed, which would not require a public hearing since it was a contiguous consent annexation and would only involve Mr. Withers signing a piece of paper and City Attorney Ken Van Blaricum getting an ordinance prepared for approval. Mr. Howard explained that Mr. Withers would develop the road and gravel it to service the bigger building. Mayor Taylor questioned if any of this was in an agreement. Mr. Howard stated that it would be part of the annexation and we would be doing the sewer and water in the next two to three years, but there was the concern for fire protection.

Mayor Taylor questioned a rate for sewer charges. Mr. Howard stated that the average rate for industrial had been looked at, which was around $20 per month. Mr. Howard commented that he was not sure if Mr. Withers was doing the revitalization program. Mayor Taylor stated that it takes several years before it comes off of that, but at least it does and that was a good thing.

Building Inspector Brad Blankenship commented that, to bring this into perspective, the BTI building was 55,000 square feet and this building would be 44,000 square feet. Commissioner Hlavachick clarified that it would be zoned Heavy Industrial. Mr. Howard stated that that was correct and added that it would include oilfield mechanical type industries and would not be right on the highway. Mayor Taylor questioned if the cost was $16,556.28. Mr. Howard stated that that was for the sewer line and not the water line, which would be about $18,000. Mr. Howard explained that that would be on another agenda. Mr. Howard commented that he appreciated working with Mr. Withers and there had been another company that wanted to do something like this, but they wanted the City to do a lot of things at our expense. Commissioner Hlavachick stated that this moves things out towards the bypass and that was a good thing.

A motion by Commissioner Detwiler to accept the bid for the sewer line for $16,556.28 for the Withers Industrial Development. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick and carried unanimously.

INFORMATION ON PUMPER TO REPLACE ENGINE 6:

Fire Chief David Kramer stated that he had information on a truck that fit in with what they had now and wanted to proceed forward with getting it here. Chief Kramer explained that the truck was a 1997 E-1 pumper that had a 500 gallon poly tank and 1,500 gpm. Chief Kramer commented that the cost of the pumper was $50,000 that included shipping, NFPA reflective strips and our lettering. Mayor Taylor questioned if they had inspected this one. Chief Kramer stated that they had not, but he would be glad to do that. Chief Kramer explained that he had visited with the Chief in Pottawatomie County and they had done a lot of business with this company. Chief Kramer stated that this truck had a brand new paint job and they had purchased it, even though it was yellow, because it was in such good shape. Commissioner Hlavachick asked how long they had been doing business. Chief Kramer answered that it was about thirty years and the owner was a former fire chief.

City Manager Howard questioned the miles and hours that were on the truck. Chief Kramer stated that it had 100,000 miles on it, but he was not sure of the hours. Chief Kramer added that he had talked to the Chief of Maintenance in Lisle Woodridge, Illinois and he would provide us with any reports we wanted on the truck. Chief Kramer commented that he was told that they had kept this truck longer than most because it was the best reserve engine they had and had been serviced twice a year. Mayor Taylor commented that 100,000 was a lot of miles. Chief Kramer stated that it was a commercial over the road truck. Chief Kramer commented that he could get the hours and they had discussed it, but he was not sure it if they were talking original hours or overhauled hours. Chief Kramer explained that they assured him that the truck was in excellent working condition. Commissioner Hlavachick commented that he liked the idea of a poly tank. Chief Kramer explained that they all had poly tanks since the early 1990’s.

Commissioner Detwiler questioned what happened to the truck in Maine. Chief Kramer explained that it was an awesome truck and they had had very high expectations, but there was surface corrosion that concerned them. Chief Kramer added that they drove it, inspected it and pumped it and there were some issues with the pump that their department thought they had resolved. Chief Kramer commented that they talked about a possible weakness and he did not want to have to deal with that. Chief Kramer stated that it functioned mechanically, but there were still the concerns about the pump and the corrosion. Commissioner Detwiler asked if there would be the same problem with the one from Chicago. Chief Kramer stated that they were assured by the owner that there were no problems.

Commissioner Graf questioned if he had visited with Mr. Sheets. Chief Kramer stated that he had and the truck he talked about was a 1980 Ford cab over type truck and did not have the capability of 1,000 gpm, which was not what we were accustomed to. Chief Kramer stated that they were looking for something that would last a few years and fit best with our current situation. Commissioner Detwiler questioned any other trucks he had. Chief Kramer stated that he had gotten online and it showed five or six trucks. Chief Kramer added that the 1980 Ford was the only truck Mr. Sheets had suggested during their conversation. Mayor Taylor questioned where he was located. Chief Kramer stated that he was in Michigan. Chief Kramer explained that trucks that were close to the 1997 model were more expensive, so it was difficult to find a truck with a guarantee, especially in the 1980’s.

Mayor Taylor suggested going to look at the truck and find out about the hours. Chief Kramer commented that he could do that. Commissioner Detwiler questioned what the cost was to go look at that other truck. Chief Kramer stated that it was around $1,300, but they had stayed at the fire station and they had feed them as well. Commissioner Detwiler commented that a more economical way to go would be to drive. Chief Kramer stated that Assistant Chief George Stevens and he had other jobs and a weekend trip worked out for them. Chief Kramer commented that they maybe could have driven to Kansas City, but they had picked the cheapest flight from Wichita. Commissioner Detwiler questioned if only one person could go. Chief Kramer answered that they could.

Commissioner Graf stated that he would like to have Chief Kramer take the truck to Pioneer Tank and get the tank fixed and then go to Southwest Truck to have them do the pump. Mayor Taylor stated that the truck had regulation problems. Commissioner Detwiler stated that that truck was not calculated in the ISO rating. Commissioner Detwiler questioned how often the truck leaves the station with firemen on it. Chief Kramer stated that some guys that work close would ride on the engine before it leaves.

Chief Kramer explained to Commissioner Graf that it was not easy to work on the tank, because you have to take the hose bed off, dismantle the back of the truck and cut the tank lose from the truck and then build the frame work for the poly tank to go on. Chief Kramer commented that Mr. Scott Borst from Morgan Diesel was one of the best welders around and he had told them that there was nothing to weld to and it was not repairable. Commissioner Hlavachick stated that he did not like having a truck that was in pieces.

Commissioner Hlavachick stated that he would like to table this until Commissioner Skaggs was on board. Commissioner Hlavachick questioned if there was a time limit on the contract. Chief Kramer stated that they would hold it if we wanted to put a deposit down. Mayor Taylor instructed Chief Kramer to look at flights out of Kansas City and they would table this until the next meeting.

OPEN AGENDA – 2:

No one in the audience wished to address the Commission.

REPORTS:

City Manager:

• KMU meeting:

City Manager Howard commented that he had attended a KMU meeting in Topeka since the last Commission meeting and the Governor had also attended some of the session. Mr. Howard commented that the changes in KPER’s had been discussed along with being stricter on water rates.

Mr. Howard added that they had talked about the Holcomb power plant and it being on hold until the appropriate permit processes were done. Mr. Howard commented that the interesting thing was that, if the courts had not shut them down, then Westar would have, because they regulate the amount of pollutants that discharge. Mr. Howard added that they would have saved it for the summer time when the pricing was more favorable to sell electricity. Mr. Howard commented that that would have put everybody in a bind, but we would have held up due to our GRDA.

Public Works:

• Thunder box plugged:

Public Works Director Rambat stated that the thunder box at May Dennis Park was partially plugged and had backed up in the park. Mr. Rambat commented that it was continuing to drain and, since the rain last week, they could not get to it right now. Mr. Rambat explained that sand, sticks and debris had plugged it off and they would clean it out in early spring.

Inspections:

• Wal-Mart generation:

Building Inspector Brad Blankenship commented that the new light poles at Wal-Mart would be 65’ tall, which was an extra 20’. Mr. Blankenship stated that the wind generators would generate two kilowatts each, or sixteen total kilowatts for eight poles, which would not do much for their electricity costs. Mr. Blankenship explained that they get government assistance and would be certified green.

Mr. Blankenship stated that they had gotten off to a rocky start, but the wind generators should come in today. Mayor Taylor questioned if they had had approval for this. Director of Electric Utilities Kelly Hemphill stated that they had complied quickly with all the requests, so there was no reason not to approve them.

• Hibbett Sports and Maurices:

Mr. Blankenship commented that he had met with the contractor for United Development and they were anxious to get going on the new Hibbett Sports and Maurices stores. Mr. Blankenship stated that the contractor was from Colorado and was curious about our tornado season, because he wanted to be done by then. Mr. Blankenship explained that Water Superintendent Kelvin Clay would be doing the water line and it was moving along pretty good.

Electric Department:

• Thursday night outage:

Director of Electric Utilities Hemphill commented that the outage Thursday night had been a lightning strike on the 115 Southern Pioneer line. Mr. Hemphill explained that there appeared to be a shot gun pellet in the pilot wire that protects our part of the 115,000 volt feeder. Mr. Hemphill stated that the program that had been started in the budget for replacement of the pilot wire system was expensive at about $35,000, but, if you break it down into the fiber optics, then the relays and labor, it does not come up to be that expensive.

Mr. Hemphill explained that they have an opportunity to install and test the relays in April when they are doing the tap changer. Mayor Taylor commented that we would be producing electricity then anyway. Mr. Hemphill stated that that was correct. Mr. Howard explained that Mr. Hemphill was talking about the line between Sunflower’s substation to our substation going down Tenth Street.

Mr. Hemphill stated that he would ask that this be the notice that he would be going out for quotes on the fiber optics and have a recommendation on the next agenda. Mayor Taylor questioned how many companies do this. Mr. Hemphill stated that there were two. Mayor Taylor asked if either of them were in Kansas. Mr. Hemphill answered that they both were. Mayor Taylor questioned who would be doing the installation. Mr. Hemphill stated that the line crew would work to install it.

• 6th Street Christmas decorations:

Mr. Hemphill commented that he had worked with Line Superintendent Jamie Huber on what it would take to get power in Sixth Street for the Christmas lights that had been discussed a couple of meetings ago. Mr. Hemphill stated that there would need to be eight electrical pedestals in the park from the north entrance to the west exit. Mr. Hemphill explained that the pedestals would be 100’ back from the roadway and there would be a 200 amp transformer run underground. Mayor Taylor questioned how high the pedestals would be. Mr. Hemphill commented that they would be about 3’ to 3 ½’ tall. Mayor Taylor asked if they would be located where they have cross country meets. Recreation Director Bruce Pinkall stated that that should not interfere with the way cross country lines up. Mr. Hemphill explained that the cost of materials would be approximately $14,177.32 and that did not include any labor.

City Manager Howard commented that he had Energy Agent Kenny Kreutzer working on the amount of dollars in electricity we use for all the Christmas lights. Mr. Howard added that there would also be the time that line distribution and the park department put into them. Commissioner Hlavachick questioned how long it would take them to do the electrical work. Mr. Hemphill commented that it would be about two to three weeks. Mayor Taylor questioned the issue of the lack of storage for the decorations and using the Lemon’s Park building. Public Works Director Rambat stated that they were storing some stuff there now, but they had talked about extending the building.

Commissioner Hlavachick commented that the evolution of the Lemon’s Park lights was to go into Sixth Street Park. Mayor Taylor questioned if Lemon’s Park was out of room for a display of this size. Mr. Hemphill stated that the load on the existing electric apparatus was maxed out. Commissioner Hlavachick asked if the electrical pedestals would allow for other displays to be on it. Mr. Hemphill explained that it could be extended from any of the pedestals. Mr. Hemphill added that this was the suggestion from Ms. Deb Goyen and this was our possible solution. Mr. Hemphill commented that the ball fields had electric for ball lights and the concession stand, but not decorations. Mayor Taylor stated that this was a good idea that would work well. Finance Director Diana Garten commented that Ms. Goyen had told Travel and Tourism that she had had a lot of requests for decorations along the road in Sixth Street Park. Ms. Garten added that the funds would come from Travel and Tourism. Mayor Taylor questioned where the money came from to build the existing storage building. Mr. Pinkall stated that he remembered it being left over funds from the sampler festival.

• EPA’s increased cost:

Mr. Hemphill commented that the EPA’s interaction with coal fired plants appeared to be driving the costs up in the electric market. Mr. Hemphill stated that the effect on us was not drastic right now, but our energy was mostly on contract and very little was purchased from market. Mr. Hemphill referred to the articles in the packets and the fact that the cost was going to go up, so it was something that we needed to be thinking about. Mr. Howard commented that we were trying to hold our cost. Mr. Howard explained that, what we pay for it and what we sell it for, without an increase in rates was getting harder and harder to do. Mr. Howard added that we would probably have to make some type of increase as the spread comes closer back together. Mayor Taylor questioned when the last increase was. City Clerk Kramer stated that it was in 2007. Mr. Howard commented that the market price was relatively cheap due to the oil activity that produces natural gas, which was where a lot of our summer generation comes from. Mr. Howard stated that they would keep a close watch on this.

Recreation Department:

• Tournament at Blythe Fitness

Recreation Director Pinkall commented that there was a volleyball tournament at the Blythe Fitness Center that involved fifteen teams. Mr. Pinkall stated that it was very successful. Mr. Pinkall explained that there were other benefits from having events at the Fitness Center, such as a team from Hays signing up to play in a softball tournament this summer after being in Pratt for the volleyball tournament and really liking Pratt.

Police Department:

• Cameras:

Police Chief Gary Myers informed the Commission that the MDT and Cop Trac Systems had been installed in the police cars and it was working good.

Finance Department:

• Sales Tax:

Finance Director Garten stated that the sales tax for January was up over last year by $22,000 from last year. Ms. Garten added that this was based on November sales.

Commission:

• Executive Session:

Commissioner Detwiler requested an executive session at the end of the meeting for non-elective personnel to last fifteen minutes.

• Crime Lab storage:

Commissioner Detwiler questioned if there was no place to put the crime lab that sits outside at the police station. Chief Myers stated that they had not been successful in finding any City property that had open space. Commissioner Detwiler questioned the open space at the Municipal Building. Chief Myers commented that he thought the recreation vehicles were in that area now. Recreation Director Pinkall stated that the recreation and maintenance vehicles were in those parking areas.

• Highway 61 intersection:

Commissioner Detwiler commented that she had witnessed another incident that could have been a bad accident at the intersection of Highway 61 and Highway 54. City Manager Howard stated that they had visited with KDOT and they realized that it was a bad intersection. Public Works Director Rambat added that KDOT would be doing a project out there this summer, but they would see what could be done in the meantime, such as doing some restriping.

Executive Session:

Mayor Taylor made a motion to enter into executive session for non-elective personnel to last fifteen minutes that was seconded by Commissioner Hlavachick. The motion and second passed unanimously.

Mayor Taylor made a motion to return from executive session with nothing to report. The motion was properly seconded and carried unanimously.

ADJOURN:

A proper motion and second passed unanimously to adjourn.


_____________________________________
JEFF A. TAYLOR, Mayor





(SEAL)

ATTEST:

________________________________
LUANN KRAMER, City Clerk

**Correction: Page 4, Para. 5—Commissioner Graf stated that he would like for Chief Kramer to take the truck to Pioneer Tank to see what it would take to get the tank fixed and to Southwest Truck to see what it would cost to do the pump.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

02/20/12-City Commission Meeting Agenda

MONDAY

FEBRUARY 20, 2012

PRATT CITY COMMISSION – REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING

COMMISSION ROOM – 5:00 P.M.

1. CALL TO ORDER (Remind audience that meeting is being recorded and/or taped.)

2. ROLL CALL

3. INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4. MINUTES – February 06, 2012 Regular City Commission meeting

5. OPEN AGENDA – 1 (City Matters Only) (3 Minute Time Limit)

6. BUSINESS:

6.1 Continued Discussion on the Purchase of the Replacement for Engine 6 – David Kramer, Fire Chief

6.2 Consideration and Approval of Bid for a Municipal Pool Study – Russell Rambat, Public Works Director

6.3 Update on Discussion with KDOT on 54 & 61 Highways Intersection Safety – Dave Howard, City Manager; Russell Rambat, Public Works Director

6.4 Consideration and Approval of Bid for the Purchase of Fiber Optic Cable – Kelly Hemphill, Dir. of Electric Utilities

7. OPEN AGENDA – 2 (City Matters Only) (3 Minute Time Limit)

8. REPORTS

8.1 City Manager
8.2 City Attorney
8.3 Department Heads
8.4 Mayor
8.5 City Commission

9. ADJOURN

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

01/16/2012-Approved City Commission Meeting Minutes

MONDAY

JANUARY 16, 2012

The Governing Body of the City of Pratt met in Regular Session in the Commission Room located in City Hall.

PRESENT: Jeff Taylor Mayor
Victor Graf Commissioner
Gary Skaggs Commissioner
Karen Detwiler Commissioner

ALSO PRESENT: Dave Howard City Manager
LuAnn Kramer City Clerk
Ken Van Blaricum City Attorney
Diana Garten Finance Director
Gary Myers Police Chief
Russell Rambat Public Works Director
Brad Blankenship Building Inspector
Kelly Hemphill Dir. of Electric Utilities

CALL TO ORDER:

The Mayor called the Regular session to order. Mayor Taylor instructed the Clerk to note that all Commissioners were present with the exception of Commissioner Hlavachick and Commissioner Skaggs.

INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:

Mayor Taylor led the staff and audience in an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.

MINUTES:

A motion by Commissioner Graf to approve the minutes of the January 03, 2012 regular Commission meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Detwiler and carried unanimously.

OPEN AGENDA – 1:

No one in the audience wished to address the Commission.

BUSINESS:

DISCUSSION ON COLUMBARIUM AT THE B-29 ALL VETERANS MEMORIAL:

George Stevens, President of the B-29 All Veterans Memorial Committee, addressed the Commission concerning a columbarium at the B-29 Memorial. Mr. Stevens stated that this was brought up when the Calvin Lyons family had wanted to sprinkle their parent’s ashes over the airport. Mr. Stevens commented that Mr. Jack McCawley was the head of this committee and he turned the podium over to him.

Mr. McCawley commented that this would not be a cemetery and they already had the project pre-funded with local donations. Mr. McCawley stated that there was a Memorandum of Understanding stating that neither the City nor the Airport would be responsible for the care of the columbarium.

(Commissioner Skaggs arrived at 5:07 p.m.)

Mr. McCawley explained that the columbarium would be vandal proof and there would be no more maintenance than there was currently. Mr. McCawley added that he had provided a copy of the policies and guidelines for use of the columbarium as well as a drawing of where it would be located. Mr. McCawley informed the Commission that there were five columbariums in Hutchinson and he had visited with Mr. Jim Bearce who said that this was a simple method of burial for ashes.

Mayor Taylor questioned if they had informed Pratt Airport Manager Reid Bell about the columbarium. Mr. McCawley stated that he had started with Mr. Bell and, when he had agreed to it, they began planning, but were told that the Board had more questions. Mayor Taylor questioned if they had been to a Pratt Airport Authority Board meeting. Mr. McCawley stated that they had been to one, but the next one had been rescheduled. Mayor Taylor asked if the Board was favorable to the idea. Mr. McCawley stated that they did not know what it was, so he should have explained it better in the beginning.

Commissioner Skaggs commented that he had several relatives that had used a columbarium, but questioned if we would have to amend the current ordinance. City Attorney Ken Van Blaricum stated that our current ordinance was common in a lot of small and large Cities in an effort to make sure that someone was taking care of the property where there were human remains. Mr. McCawley explained that the cremains would be placed in the ground with a heavy marker on top to avoid vandalism. Commissioner Skaggs questioned the stones being pictured above ground. Mr. McCawley stated that the headstones stick up a little bit, but they would be level with the sidewalk.

Commissioner Skaggs questioned whether the association would always be able to maintain the property. Mr. McCawley stated that the 12 X 12 granite stone should last forever and there should be no more maintenance than there was now. City Manager Dave Howard commented that thoughts were usually that the responsibility would come back to the City at some later date, but he felt that this should be a discussion for the Airport Authority Board. Mayor Taylor questioned if we would have to amend our ordinance. Mr. Howard stated that an ordinance would have to designate that area as a columbarium.

Mr. Van Blaricum explained that the ordinance could be easily modified, but he felt this should be deferred to the Airport Authority Board and then, depending on their decision, any changes in the ordinance could be made. Mayor Taylor questioned if the Cemetery Board should get involved and have their questions answered. Mr. McCawley stated that he had been out to speak with Cemetery Sexton Butch Simpson and he had no objections. Commissioner Detwiler questioned what the demand for something like this was. Mr. McCawley stated that he did not know since this was the first time they had been approached. Commissioner Detwiler questioned if it was not common for the ashes to be scattered. Mr. McCawley stated that they would rather have them in an area with nitches in a garden area.

Mr. Van Blaricum stated that he could draft an ordinance and run it by the Airport Authority Board. Mayor Taylor asked what the consensus of the Commission was. Commissioner Detwiler commented that she would like to see it deferred to the Airport Authority Board before we change anything. Mayor Taylor commented that this touches the veteran’s side of it and most of the World War II veterans were gone. Commissioner Graf stated that he would like to see it stay in the cemetery. Commissioner Skaggs stated that this was a modern thing and, with a mobile society, the columbarium was the up and coming thing. Commissioner Skaggs added that he had family purchase these in a church columbarium. Mr. McCawley commented that not many B-29 people think about coming to Greenlawn Cemetery, but they may come to the columbarium.

Mayor Taylor stated that the Commission would wait to see what the Airport Authority Board thinks before any decisions were made. The Commissioners were all in agreement. Mr. Fred Sullivan, FATB Construction, stated that he would strongly suggest that there be good records kept at the cemetery, since he had recently dug up a grave stone during a construction project.

CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF RE-APPOINTMENTS TO THE CEMETERY BOARD:

Public Works Director Russell Rambat stated that there were two seats on the Cemetery Board that were about to expire and both were willing to serve another term. Mr. Rambat informed the Commission that he would recommend Ms. Rita Hitt and Mr. Tom Jones for re-appointment to the Cemetery Board for a three year term.

A motion by Commissioner Detwiler to re-appoint Ms. Rita Hitt and Mr. Tom Jones to another three year term on the Cemetery Board. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Graf and carried unanimously.

OPEN AGENDA – 2:

No one in the audience wished to address the Commission.

REPORTS:

City Manager:

• KMU meeting in Topeka;

Mr. Howard commented that he would be attending a KMU meeting in Topeka on Wednesday. Mr. Howard informed the Commission that the Legislators would be back in session and he would meet with other City Managers and Superintendents to discuss electrical costs.

• New Police Chief:

Mr. Howard stated that ‘Acting’ Police Chief Gary Myers was now the new Police Chief for the City and that Chief Myers had held the office as Interim Chief for over a year. The Commission and staff congratulated Chief Myers on his new position.

City Attorney:

• Local Ordinances:

Mr. Van Blaricum commented that he would be reviewing local ordinances with Chief Myers to see which ones might need improvement. Mr. Van Blaricum added that any changes would be brought before the Commission.

Public Works:

• Sealing cracks:

Public Works Director Russell Rambat stated that it had been a mild winter so far and the street department had been staying busy outside sealing cracks in the northeast corner to get ready for the sealing project this summer.

• Root Killer:

Mr. Rambat stated that the wastewater department had been out with the jet machine applying root killer to a lot of sewers since the weather was agreeable.

• Summer ideas:

Mr. Rambat commented that he had been working on the street sealing project for this summer and they would probably try to change out the pump at the pool this summer too.

Inspections:

• Wither’s salvage yard:

Building Inspector Brad Blankenship commented that, after a citizen’s complaint, he had looked at the Wither’s Salvage Yard and it was on County property. Mr. Blankenship explained that we do land use on County property, but not land uses, so he did not have to abide by that. Mr. Blankenship explained that there had to be a tract district within 300’ if he was in the City. Mr. Blankenship stated that he had had a conversation with Mr. Dale Withers and he was receptive about the fencing, but not by him. Mayor Taylor questioned what the State guidelines were. Mr. Blankenship stated that it had to be 1000’ from the State’s right-of-way to the fence when viewed from the highway. Mr. Blankenship added that he had not found out if we do the enforcement from the State side. Mayor Taylor asked that Mr. Blankenship get back with Rev. Fleener to let him know that he could pursue this if he wanted.

Electric Department:

• Light at 54 & 61:

Director of Electric Utilities Kelly Hemphill commented that he had checked into the traffic light at Highway 61 and Highway 54 and the lights were activated by cameras that our people were not able to reprogram. Mr. Hemphill added that Gades Company would be out this week to look at the timing and to extend the green light going east and west.

Mr. Hemphill stated that, to have a left turn signal would be expensive, so he suggested that we exhaust all the programming possibilities before adding more apparatus’. Mayor Taylor commented that the extension of time for east and west traffic on Highways 54 and 281 had worked out. Mayor Taylor questioned how long that one had been extended for. Mr. Hemphill stated that it was nine seconds longer. Mayor Taylor suggested that they do the same on 54 & 61 Highways. Mr. Hemphill stated that he would recommend that.

• Accident by Integreen:

Mr. Hemphill stated that a car had hit a pole by Integreen Services and the west loop was out for a few seconds. Mr. Hemphill added that only two customers had been out for about an hour and he was one of them.

• Sunflower Plant in Holcomb:

Mr. Hemphill informed the Commission that the Sunflower Plant in Holcomb would be off-line for maintenance in a couple of weeks. Mr. Hemphill also stated that the Jeffries Plant had shafts shut down on Tuesday of last week, which made a shortage of energy. Mr. Hemphill added that Sunflower had called and asked that we run the diesel engines for one day. Mayor Taylor questioned what the capacity was this time of year. Mr. Hemphill stated that it was nine to eleven depending on the weather. Energy Agent Kenny Kreutzer explained that the Holcomb outage was caused by the EPA doing upgrades.

Police Department:

• Taser training:

Police Chief Gary Myers informed the Commission that they would be doing taser training on January 23rd at 8:00 am. Chief Myers stated that this was a six hour course and he was requiring the officers be the subject of deployment unless they had a medical condition. Commissioner Skaggs questioned what would happen if they refuse. Chief Myers stated that they would not get certified. Commissioner Skaggs questioned if they would lose their job. Chief Myers stated that they would not.

Commission:

• Close Sixth Street Park & Lemon’s Park:

Commissioner Detwiler stated that she would like to see Sixth Street Park closed at dusk now that the Christmas lights were down. Commissioner Detwiler commented that there was little to no traffic in the park around 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm or even 8:30 pm. Commissioner Detwiler stated that, what traffic there was, were not looking for deer and trying to see how fast they could make it through the park. Mayor Taylor questioned if she had stated Sixth Street Park. Commissioner Detwiler stated that it was Sixth Street Park and Lemon’s Park. Commissioner Detwiler explained that Sixth Street Park could not be closed, but she would like to see Lemon’s Park closed at dusk, which is when they close the cemetery.

Commissioner Skaggs questioned what hours Commissioner Detwiler was thinking about. Commissioner Detwiler stated that it should be closed to vehicular traffic around 6:30 pm or 7:00 pm. Mayor Taylor stated that he was not in favor of that and the parks were to there to be used by the citizens. Commissioner Detwiler stated that the alternative would be speed bumps. Mayor Taylor stated that it was ridiculous to have speed bumps in the park.

Mayor Taylor commented that you did not want to close the park for people to use it however they want to use it. Mayor Taylor added that some people did not want to walk, but drive through the park at 9:00 pm and it should be open to them. Mayor Taylor explained that, unless there was vandalism or rampant speeding through the park, should you look at closing it. Mayor Taylor commented that he was down at the park day or night and he was not seeing the speeding. Mayor Taylor stated that he did not see closing the parks because somebody thinks there is stuff going on down there that they do not like. Mayor Taylor commented that, years ago, there were some that wanted to close the park for roller bladders and that was maybe an isolated group of ten, but the rest of the people would have been shut out. Commissioner Detwiler commented that we needed to find a solution to slow down the traffic. Mayor Taylor repeated that he was down there a lot and he did not see it. Commissioner Detwiler suggested that Mayor Taylor park and watch the traffic.

• Main Street spaces:

Commissioner Skaggs questioned Mr. Rambat about having more space on the corners on Main Street and whether they were going to paint the yellow back further. Commissioner Skaggs stated that he had seen people go one parking space past the last white line. Mr. Rambat stated that they would get back to painting this spring and would extend the yellow around a little more. Mr. Rambat explained that they may be able to add one more stall to some areas. Mr. Rambat added that they had gone by KDOT standards.

• Radar on First Street:

Commissioner Graf commented that he was impressed to see officers running radar on First Street. Mr. Howard stated that truck traffic had slowed down and he had not been behind a truck going faster than 32 mph. Commissioner Skaggs commented that truckers have a good communication system. Mr. Howard stated that they had written 140 tickets in a six week period. Mayor Taylor stated that this was something that needed to be done and that was evident by the number of tickets that had been written.

Mr. Howard commented that turning the red lights to blinking at night had a good effect. Chief Myers explained that some of the truckers that had been cited never slowed down and they would disregard the signals. Chief Myers added that the word was out that the blinking red light meant stop and not caution. City Attorney Van Blaricum commented that they had had a real avalanche of red light tickets in Municipal Court after this started.

ADJOURN:

Commissioner Skaggs made a motion to adjourn and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Graf. The motion passed unanimously.


_____________________________________
JEFF A. TAYLOR, Mayor





(SEAL)

ATTEST:


____________________________________
LUANN KRAMER, City Clerk

Thursday, February 2, 2012

02/06/2012 City Commission Meeting Agenda

MONDAY

FEBRUARY 06, 2012

PRATT CITY COMMISSION – REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING

COMMISSION ROOM – 5:00 P.M.

1. CALL TO ORDER (Remind audience that meeting is being recorded and/or taped.)

2. ROLL CALL

3. INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4. MINUTES – January 16, 2012 Regular City Commission meeting

5. OPEN AGENDA – 1 (City Matters Only) (3 Minute Time Limit)

6. BUSINESS:

6.1 Consideration and Approval of the Purchase of a Back-up Computer Server for the Police Department – Jeff Ward, Detective; Gary Myers, Police Chief

6.2 Discussion on Withers Industrial Park Development – Dave Howard, City Manager

6.3 Information on Pumper to Replace Engine 6 – David Kramer, Fire Chief


7. OPEN AGENDA – 2 (City Matters Only) (3 Minute Time Limit)

8. REPORTS

8.1 City Manager
8.2 City Attorney
8.3 Department Heads
8.4 Mayor
8.5 City Commission

9. ADJOURN