Prior to the council meeting last night there were 2 public hearings that was the final step prior to approval of re-zoning 2 areas in the Seasons Road area. One was to allow for the building of a 4th building in the Seasons Road Business Park, the second was to create an overlay district on Seasons Road west of Route 8; this would allow for ancillary services to also be built in this area. These both moved on to council and were approved.
Council also recognized Matthew Mergen for his earning of the Eagle Scout Rank. While I don’t know Mr. Mergen, I know his Eagle Scout Project, a gaga ball pit at Echo Hills, is a huge hit by both my own daughter and all the students at Echo Hills. This is a true honor and its great to see the impact of such a project to the community.
The purchases approved last night involved new radios for the police department which will be 75% covered under a grant program, 4 new vehicles for the police department, 1 new dump truck to be used for snow plowing, 2 vehicles for the water and engineering department, 1 new ambulance, 2 new pieces of earth moving equipment, 1 new traffic control device, and 10 sets out of turnout gear for the fire department. All these annual expenses were for replacement equipment current owned by the city. I think it is important to make sure we are rotating equipment and replacing items on a regular basis, having unreliable equipment can cause delays in projects and create unexpected expenses. Having a regular maintenance and replacement plan can help with better budgeting and control costs.
Council also approved the appointment of a new Planning Department Secretary, the posting of a replacement Parks Department Recreation Supervisor position for a retirement that is upcoming, and the addition of a Assistant Recreation Supervisor in the Parks Department. This position would be the replacement of two part time positions. I understand that there is some cost with this addition over the two part time positions but I believe with all the events that the parks department plans, plus all the other events they have involvement with, this will be a worthwhile investment for the city and the parks department.
Several council members and city staff members all echoed the concern of the recent accident on Route 8 this past week. Chief Film did provide an update that Sergeant Bell did return home and is expected to make a full recovery. The construction on Route 8 is going to be a long term project and the number of accidents that have already occurred during this project is scary. There will be adding air patrols over this area, additional signs and increased enforcement of the speed through this area. We all must remain vigilant in travelling this area during construction and make sure to follow the speed limits, watch for workers and trucks in the area, and leave distance between vehicles.
Next Council Meeting will be May 23, 2019 at 7 PM.