The Trenton City Council approved six ordinances and one resolution Monday night, with two of them receiving split votes. The council also awarded bids on two concrete projects, both on split votes. Seven council members were present at the meeting.
The council unanimously voted 7-0 to hire Olsson Incorporated as a consultant for the design and bidding of a new hangar at the Trenton airport. The cost of basic services will not exceed $93,952. Bids will be sought for a four-bay hangar with options to expand the project to six or eight bays. The city of Trenton will cover ten percent of the engineering cost.
Four ordinances were approved for engineering work orders for the Howe Company. One is for $49,000 to design plans for the construction of new ten-inch and eight-inch PVC gravity sewer mains. Another is for $25,000 for design and bidding services for the lining of sewer mains in various Trenton locations. A third ordinance is for $61,000 for design and bidding services for water mains on East 20th, East 2nd, and Maupin Street, as well as Harris Avenue. This is the second phase of the sewer lining projects. The other phase is at 10th and Oklahoma. Each of these was approved 7-0. The council voted 6-1 for the Howe Company to provide bidding services using closed-circuit TV documents for the potential lining of other existing sewer mains before seeking bids, totaling $24,000. Councilman Marvin Humphreys voted against it. The council unanimously approved the purchase of a bulk supply of transformers from Arkansas Electric Cooperative for the upcoming year.
In another decision, the council approved a resolution 6-1 expressing the city’s intention to provide 20 percent local matching funds if awarded a grant for sidewalk construction. A grant application will be submitted to MoDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program this month. The project in the western part of Trenton will be divided into three phases. The first phase involves constructing a sidewalk along Highway 6 to the new Dollar General store, estimated to cost $174,000. The city of Trenton’s commitment will not exceed $34,804. It was mentioned that the city might apply for a MoDOT grant next year for sidewalks near the Rissler Elementary School. Councilman Glen Briggs voted against it.
After deciding to re-bid two concrete projects last month, the council received five bids. They awarded the projects on 6-1 votes to two bidders. For pavement replacement at the fire department and airport, a bid from Shuler Concrete of Trenton was accepted for just over $29,000 ($29,083). For new pavement at the sewer plant inlet and TMU warehouse, Grand River Concrete from the Jamesport area was awarded the bid for $34,862. These bids were accepted after the City Council determined that the low bid for each project by Grimes Construction was incomplete due to omissions or mathematical errors. Councilman Glen Briggs voted against rejecting Grimes’ bid and awarding the city project bid to Shuler. Councilman Tim Meinecke voted against awarding the TMU project bid to Grand River Concrete.
The city council endorsed the Trenton Police and Fire Department’s charity softball game this fall. A concession stand will be available at the game. Police Chief Rex Ross mentioned that the proceeds would benefit the Green Hills Recreation Association. He informed KTTN that the tentative date for the softball game is October 7th.
Reports were presented by Councilmen Calvin Brown, Briggs, and Humphreys. Brown mentioned a Park Board member’s request to change the sign at Van Meter Children’s Park from being open from 7 am to midnight to “open from dawn to dusk unless children are accompanied by an adult.” Briggs highlighted that while the city of Trenton didn’t experience flood damage, rural areas of Grundy County sustained at least $130,000 in damages to country roads and tubes. This assessment will be considered when seeking a federal disaster declaration. Humphreys discussed the Convention and Visitors Bureau meeting where the board pledged $50,000 over two years for wayfinding signs in Trenton.
In an administrative committee meeting, members voted 3-1 to reduce the time fireworks can be detonated by the public in Trenton by two hours. If approved by the city council, the revised ordinance will state that fireworks can only be set off from 8 am to 10 pm on July 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The proposal was supported by Lou Fisher, Calvin Brown, and Marvin Humphreys. Glen Briggs opposed, noting that people would continue to set off fireworks until midnight, as currently allowed on July 4th. The committee didn’t take any action on a proposed ordinance to ban the roadside sale of animals, such as puppies.
