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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-09-26 MINUTES OF COUNCIL SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 The Batesville City Council met in regular session on September 26, at 5:30 pm at the Municipal Building. Mayor Rick Elumbaugh presided over the meeting. Utility Billing Manager Nick Baxter gave the invocation. Upon roll call, the following Councilmembers answered present; Chris Beller, Tommy Bryant, Sonya Crafton, Margaret Henley, Paige Hubbard, Chris Poole and David Shetron. Also present were the City Clerk Denise Johnston and City Attorney Tim Meitzen. Councilmember Doug Matthews was absent. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Councilmember Beller seconded and all voted for. Councilmember Bryant moved to approve the prepared agenda. Councilmember Beller seconded and all voted for. CITIZENS COMMENTS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS A) PROCLAMATION DECLARING OCTOBER 7T" "GO PINK FOR THE CURE" DAY Mayor Elumbaugh read a proclamation proclaiming October 7t" as "To Pink for the Cure" day. B) HEAR A BRIEF UPDATE FROM SURVIVAL FLIGHT Ms. Deanna Green, Membership Manager for Survival Flight, addressed the council with information on Survival Flight. Ms. Green said their home base is located at White River Medical Center. Their helicopters can go up to 155 miles per hour and go from Batesville to Ash Flat in 10 minutes. Another great feature is their helicopters have an additional seat so a loved one can travel with the patient. Survival Flight is offering discounted rates to all city employees including the councilmembers. Ms. Green said they are in the process of purchasing two large hangers at the Batesville Municipal Airport which will be the regional hub for Survival Flight. The Mayor and Council commented on how good this if for our community and thanked Ms. Green for sharing the information with the city. C) HEAR AN UPDATE ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER AND AQUATICS PARK Mr. Mazan Rahman with ETC Engineers and Mr. Ryan Edwards with GAG Builders addressed the council with an update on the construction of the Community Center and Aquatics Park. The discussion centered around the conflict with CMM, the HVAC and plumbing contractors. CMM complained they were not being paid by the general contractor which led to a meeting with CMM, GAG (the general contractor), ETC Engineering, Parks Director Jeff Owens, Mayor Elumbaugh and City Attorney Tim Meitzen. Mr. Rahman said numbers were compared and CMM had been paid for all the work they had completed. Specific details were discussed regarding what was expected of CMM for the remainder of the project. Mr. Edwards said CMM has completed approximately 76% of their work. Mr. Rahman said everyone left the meeting thinking that all issues had been resolved. Two days later on August 10th, CMM defaulted and walked off the job. Because CMM was bonded for this job, the bonding company will have to investigate and determine what is left to do on the project and then hire a new contractor to finish. He said this can take time which also holds up the other contractors from completing their work. Mr. Rahman said once a new contractor is hired, there will still be approximately 8 to 12 weeks left to finish the project. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh said the Arkansas Municipal League is starting a new program and the kick off location is Batesville. The League will be holding meetings across the state, hosted by 4 or 5 different cities and will be held quarterly. The meetings will be held in larger cities and target smaller cities to come and get an update on the programs that the League offers as well as other information to keep cities and towns informed. Batesville will be hosting the first meeting on October 4th at Josie's from 11:00 — 1:00. Thirty plus city officials have registered to attend the meeting. The Mayor said Police Chief Cockrill has sent 4 officers to a bike training school in Mississippi. He said the training is intense and will teach the officers to not only use their bikes for public relations but also how to use them when needed in a hostile situation. The Mayor said a representative from Senator Boozman's office will be at city hall September 30th from 11:00-1:00 for anyone who would like to visit with the Senator's office. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT There being no more business, Councilmember Bryant moved that the meeting be adjourned. Councilmember Shetron seconded and all voted for. RICK ELUMBAUGH, MAYOR DENISE M. JOHNSTON, CITY CLERK