Public hearing delayed by date problem

 

March 24, 2019

Marione Martin

JOAT Holdings LLC is the owner of this property at 202 9th St. in Alva. A public hearing for this and another location was delayed Monday.

A public hearing was tabled by the Alva City Council Monday due to conflicting dates and times given property owners. City Attorney Rick Cunningham said the letters to property owners gave the hearing time and date as 6 p.m. on Friday, March 15. However, the hearing was actually being held on Monday, March 18, at 6:30 p.m.

City Inspector Derrick Courson said he first thought the hearing would be at the Planning Commission. He said when he realized his error, he sent out new letters with the correct date. He received returns on those letters showing they had been received.

Cunningham asked Courson to go across the street to the office and get copies of the letters with the correct date and time. During that time, the council continued with other agenda items.

When Courson returned, he said he did not have a copy of the letters in the file so tried to print them from the computer. However, the computer automatically updated the dates so he was unable to provide the letters.

Cunningham told the council it would be best to delay the hearing to make sure property owners had proper notice to allow them to attend. The council voted to table the public hearing until the April meeting. They also tabled the council action on the properties.

The addresses involved in the public hearing are 118 10th St. owned by Wanda Severn and 202 9th St. owned by JOAT Holdings, LLC. After the hearing in April, the council will vote on whether or not to declare the properties a public nuisance. If the council makes that declaration, the buildings will be slated for demolition.

ARC Board Meetings

The Alva Recreational Center Board recommended that their meetings be changed from monthly to quarterly. They often have very little business to conduct so meetings are short, and it's sometimes difficult to have a quorum of members.

The council voted approval of Ordinance 2019-001 changing the meetings to quarterly. They also passed an emergency clause making the ordinance effective immediately upon publication.

Fire Rescue Truck Purchased

Council members approved the purchase of a new Ford F550 Rescue Truck for the Fire Department not to exceed $140,000. The final price for the vehicle is unknown; it will depend on chassis availability and cost of constructing the body.

Alva Business Manager Joe Don Dunham said this truck will replace a 2007 Ford F450 which will be taken out of service, declared surplus and sold. He told the council to expect a minimum six-month delivery time for the vehicle which will be purchased via state contract. This truck is a planned purchase already in the budget.

LeDou Lists Street Problems

During the citizen remarks portion of the agenda, Jewel LeDou told the council she was concerned about the condition of several street intersections. She said there was a nice looking retaining wall close to the street at 12th and Maple but it blocked drivers' view of oncoming traffic. She asked the city to consider adding an additional stop sign at the intersection.

LeDou complained about the street condition at several intersections: 12th and Locust, 5th and Church, 5th and High. She said Maple Street from the museum (14th St.) to the 100 block is "horrible" and needs resurfacing and Center from 10th to 12th is also in bad shape.

When LeDou asked how the city determines which streets receive attention, Dunham reminded her of the list he gave in his report. Unfortunately, those are in the east end of town, and LeDou's list was mostly in the west side. Mayor Kelly Parker told her he wrote down her list, and they'd work on them as they have time.

Consent Agendas

The council approved the consent agenda which included minutes of the February meeting, claims of $164,920.54 and payroll expenses of $247,761.18.

The Alva Utility Authority approved minutes, claims of $356,649.87 and payroll expenses of $65,328.57.

The Alva Economic Development Authority voted approval of February 19 minutes, claims of $27,079.37 and payroll expenses of $14,572.70.

Homestead Cooler-Freezer Purchase

The Alva Economic Development Authority handles matters relating to The Homestead Retirement Center. A one-half percent city sales tax goes toward paying off The Homestead and paying for maintenance items. The facility is managed by the Alva Hospital Authority.

Monday night the trustees, consisting of council members, approved the purchase of a new cooler-freezer from Arctic Restaurant Equipment & Supply in an amount not to exceed $31,607.48.

Marione Martin

This property at 118 10th St. in Alva will be considered for a declaration of dilapidation at a hearing in April. The owner of record is Wanda Severn.

Mayor Parker, who is also director of the The Homestead, said they serve approximately 5,000 meals per month to residents, guests and other customers such as the county jail and Meals on Wheels recipients. Present cooler and freezer storage is maxed out and often supplies must be stored at Share Convalescent Home.

The project also includes relocation of the delivery door for food and supplies from the kitchen to the dry storage room, improving the cleanliness of the food preparation environment.

In addition to the $41,607.48 cooler-freezer, the costs will include $2,000 for HVAC relocation, $2,000 for fire suppression, $1,500 electrical, $1,000 concrete and $10,500 carpentry-construction. The old commercial cooler and freezers will be declared surplus and sold for an estimated value of $6,000. The total estimated cost of the project is $42,607.48.

 

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