By Julie Johansen
The Orangeville City Council opened its November meeting with compliments to Zander Hughes for the completion of his Eagle project at the bus stop at the entrance of the Cottonwood Subdivision. Hughes made and installed two bike racks for the youth to be able to lock their bikes before they board the school bus.
Scout Troup 300 Master Marc Stilson also congratulated Hughes for the project he recently completed. Stilson then announced that there are four other local scouts working on Eagle projects.
Stilson also requested a $100 donation for the rechartering of the scout group in the county. He spoke about the enthusiasm of the boys 12 years of age and older. Younger boys are also considering a cub scout program to be held in the schools.
Continuing, Stilson thanked Orangeville City for its continued support, especially the use of its building for meetings. Stilson asked that the scouts be notified of other service projects the city would like help with. Ultimately, the $100 donation was granted to Scout Troup 300.
The next item on the agenda was a follow up from last month’s meeting. The removal of trees for Mike Bean was reopened for discussion with Mayor David Robertson reading part of a letter from the city attorney. The letter stated that the two dead trees would be removed but the other trees along the Blue Cut Canal would not be removed by the city.
Bean responded that the compromised trees along the canal are on city property, so the city would be liable if the trees fell or damaged anything. The council decided they would remove two trees now and see what happens in the coming years.
Superior Security gave a bid of $2,500 for the rekeying of the Orangeville Community Center, which was the next item of consideration for the council. A keyless entry seemed to be a secure way to monitor the use of the center. This would be monitored virtually or be timed, and would eliminate the use of many of the keys that have not been returned to the city and help secure the building.
It was decided that beginning in January, the rental fees would be raised by $20 per day to cover the cost of the new entry system. This was an unanimous decision by the council.
During citizen concerns, Steven Jeffery asked for the city’s support in the development of the RV park along Mill Dam Road. He was told of their support but reminded him that permits for utilities must be done correctly before units can be established.
Then, three bids for benches around the fire pit in the park were considered. The low bid of $1,737 from Big T was selected by the council and the benches will be ordered immediately for installation.
Consideration was also given to a new shed but was tabled to acquire additional bids and information next month. An invoice from Precision Concrete was approved for payment. This work was for grinding to repair sidewalks in the city. The comments were that the work was well done and complete.
The city clerk then explained the HEAT assistance program that would cover utility costs for city residents that qualify if the city becomes a vendor. This would guarantee that the city would get its money from the program when the owners could not pay. This motion was approved.
Purchasing city vehicles was the next item on the agenda. Previously, $60,000 was moved in the budget to cover these purchases. It was announced that the county fire department would give them a F450 Ford diesel pickup with a flat bed on the back. The pickup only has 3,000 miles on it.
It was then suggested that if they took this, they could get a snow plow and sander for approximately $10,000. This would save them a lot of money that they could use for another truck and sedan. The discussion then turned to lease versus buying. With a vote of one to four, it was decided to try leasing for one year.