Alva Review-Courier -

Both Town Maintenance Supervisor Stuart Page and City Clerk Cindy Reed reported that water volume being input into the two city water tanks is up considerably in the last month. Page estimated a 25,000-gallon loss from one of the tanks, and Reed said the other that normally has a flow of 400,000 to 500,000 gallons was at 800,000 gallons input the last month.

Part of the problem has to do with water pressure and the tanks overflowing twice in the last month. A new float valve has been installed on the larger tank, which likely will stop the overflow problem. Mayor Shad Brackin asked the City Hall staff to follow the preliminary steps required by the DEQ and ask them to come to Freedom to help locate the cause of the loss.

Page said the new generator at the lift station will be placed Tuesday, Dec. 19. He was instructed to get a filled propane tank from Long Gas Company in place by that time so the generator can be properly tested by the installers.

Page also said he had noticed elementary age children crossing the highway to get to school each morning. He said the painted crosswalks have faded away after the state did some work on State Highway 50. Brackin suggested asking the Circuit Engineering District 8 to see about getting the crosswalks re-installed since they had been sending out information on child safety. Also, he suggested asking if the sheriff might be asked to come out and give programs at the public school about highway safety.

Page presented a multi-page document outlining the city's responsibilities regarding the natural gas system. The document was compiled after an assessment of the Freedom Natural Gas system by the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group.

One other item Page brought up was when they were hanging lighted Christmas decorations on power poles. Most of the poles have year-round electrical outlets on them and some, because they have lost the flip-over covers, are deteriorating and need replacement. A few outlets still have the covers and they are okay.

The office manager said the town had received a $600 check because they had no insurance claims. Also, if the trustees will watch a webinar on the gas system, they will receive another $600.

Cindy Reed and Shad Brackin went to a workshop last week to learn how to get more grants. She said the size of the City of Alva in the same county throws Freedom into an urban/rural category, which makes achieving grants more difficult. They learned at the seminar that if they will update their capital improvement plan they might have a better chance at grants.

The board hired Bonnie Greer as an additional full-time employee to join with Dawn Ware. Both were given raises to $9.50 per hour for the next year. Stuart Page, maintenance supervisor, will get a $1-per-hour raise. Bonnie Greer will work on special projects, including attending seminars to become skilled at grant writing. In an agenda item that authorized the raises, a holiday bonus transfer from the RV park rent account in the amount of $1,200 was transferred to MTA. The report said all employees received the maximum bonus.

The town board voted to approve an interlocal cooperative agreement for Circuit Engineering District 8. Reed said this is an annual housekeeping agreement so they can do business, if need be, with CD8.

The board approved submitting REAP grant requests for 2018 that will include a security video system from BancCentral, and a new storm siren system from Storm Sirens Inc. of Norman.