HIGHFILL -- City council authorized James "Butch" Wiand to seek bids for re-coating the city's single water tank but asked him to have the interior and exterior portions of the job also be bid separately so that the city could proceed with work on the interior even if it lacks funds to complete both the interior and exterior at the same time.
According to Wiand, the city received estimates indicating it could re-coat the interior of the tank for approximately $47,000. The work would include a 5-year warranty, but the city could pay an additional $2,300 every two years for service and have the warranty extended for 10 years.
The cost does not include engineering fees and costs associated with draining the tank and pressurizing the water lines.
Councilman Chris Holland asked if Wiand thought another $10,000 would cover it, with Wiand indicating he thought it should.
Wiand also shared cost estimates to do the entire tank, inside and out, at approximately $105,000.
Holland suggested the city use the money in the water department's savings -- approximately $35,000 -- and add the difference to it to do repair and re-coat the tank's interior unless the savings account will cover it by the time the work is done. We can then "save for the [work on] the exterior, Holland said. "Maybe, by the time they do it, we'll have enough to do the whole thing," Holland said.
"If we can do the $2,300 and get a 10-year warranty, I don't think we can go wrong," Holland said of his suggestion to begin with work on the interior, where it is needed most, and then follow up with work on the tank's exterior.
Wiand estimated, if a bid package is put out and bids received, work could begin next spring -- in March or April.
Wiand told council members another company offered to do the entire job and finance it with $41,370 due each year for three years.
Steve Miller, Highfill's attorney, said he didn't think the city could do that without first putting the project out to bid.
Wiand also asked the council if they planned to stay the automatic 5 percent rate increase for water customers this year. He said the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport had asked him.
Mayor Stacy Digby and council members said, with costs continuing to rise, it would be better to let the increase take place and use the extra money to do some of the work needed to maintain and grow the water system.
According to Wiand, the city currently subsidizes the water department each year, with $285,000 budgeted for this year. He anticipated that his department would only need about $200,000 of that budgeted subsidy for the current year.
Council members discussed the rate increase, saying the increase would cost the average water user less than $2 per month.
Vernon Reams, street department manager, said he had looked at state bids for a 3/4 ton long-bed pickup truck for his department and the state bid for a Dodge crew cab was less than the Ford extended cab. He said the crew cab would be $27,000 for a 2014. He estimated payments of just over $500 per month if $28,000 were financed for five years.
Councilwoman Michelle Reif asked Reams if he had looked at used vehicles and Reams said he couldn't buy a quality used vehicle for the state bid price on a new pickup truck.
Council members asked him to bring bid specifications for the Dodge and the Ford trucks available to the city through state bids, along with a bank offer from the Bank of Gravett for financing, to be considered at the October meeting.
Reams said the vehicles were the same but the price was $1,000 more if the city waited until next year to purchase through state bid.
Mayor Digby told council members that there would not be a Highfill Hay Days this year due to lack of time and interest. He said the city's trunk or treat event would be at 4 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the city park.
General News on 09/17/2014