Time and use takes its toll on everything, and at their March 13 meeting, the Montpelier Village Council heard of several issues where infrastructure repair was called for.
In replying to a query from Councilor Nathan Thompson about activity on the 100 block of Washington Street, Supervisor of Administrative Services, Kurt Roan, said that the old combination sewer line (currently a storm sewer) has collapsed. “We have about 209 feet to replace,” he said, adding that there is about 300 feet of sanitary sewer line from the south end that runs under the railroad tracks that is also in need of replacement.
Ellen Gearhart, a resident of the Southwest Subdivision, addressed Council about the need for street repairs in the area. “Our curbs in the Southwest Subdivision are coming up off the streets,” she said, adding, “…the streets too, are in really bad shape. I’ve lived out there for twenty-some years, and they’ve never been repaved or anything.”
Councilor Cheri Streicher, also a resident of the Southwest Subdivision, agreed with the concerns of Gearhart. “We inherited it from a developer years ago, and this is what we got,” Roan said, adding that the situation has been known of for quite a while, and although the area is targeted under a five-year plan, there are issues that preclude a rapid solution, especially with areas in the substrata. Curb separation is attributed to freeze and thaw issues over the years, and he noted problems with a sanitary sewer line. “One section of it,” he said, “…there is no bottom. We had an inspection team come in and they did soil borings. They went down 27 feet and never hit anything solid. The person that lives there on the north side has had his foundation jacked up three times. This is something that we’re trying to deal with that’s going to take a lot of money, and a lot of time.” Estimates for getting all the repairs done range from $1.72 million to $2 million, but Mayor Yagelski insisted that when done, the repairs will not just be done, but done right.
Gearhart also requested a clarification of the new ARS large trash pickup rules and regulations. Village Director of Finance, Kelly Hephner, said that there has been some confusion about the monthly large trash pickup procedures, and she will be in contact with ARS to get the details ironed out.
Council also heard from Mr. Michael Schultz, as he gave a very brief overview of preparedness procedures in the county. The Emergency Preparedness Coordinator of the Community Health Division of the Williams County Health Department, Mr. Schultz broke down the hierarchy of agencies, from the federal to the local levels. “The standard process for all emergency management is mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery,” he said. “These are the things that we do, and the things that take place.” He noted that mitigation and preparedness are two separate things, and that depending upon the situation, each of the four emergency management processes may well contain multiple smaller processes.”
In other actions, Council approved a Then and Now certificate for the Poggemeyer Design Group for the waste water Treatment Plant Improvement Project in the amount of $200,600. Curtis Wamer and Samantha Keller were both approved for probationary positions with the Fire Department. Under suspended rules of reading, Council approved five separate resolutions, including the annual transfer of funds for the police pension. Council approved Resolution 1170, fixing compensation and allowances for hourly employees.
Two resolutions came to be because the language of earlier legislation covering the same subject was deemed incorrect. Therefore, Council approved Resolution 1171, authorizing the Village Manager to apply for, accept and enter into a Water Pollution Control Principal Forgiveness Agreement for Combined Sewer Overflow Phase V, and Resolution 1172, authorizing the Village Manager to apply for, accept and enter into a Water Pollution Control Principal Forgiveness Agreement for Waste Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project. Finally, Council approved Resolution 1173, authorizing the Village Manager to enter into a contract for police services with Holiday City.
Timothy Kays can be reached at tim@thevillagereporter.com