Council gets update on Clearwell completion timeframe

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charelscitypress.com

The Charles City Council reviewed current infrastructure projects and prepared for upcoming ones at its regular meeting on Monday, July 15.

At the meeting, the council met with Rustin Lingbeek of SHE Engineering to review the 13th payment request for the One Million Gallon Clearwell Project.

While the council approved the $150,333.50 request for the most recent work completed on the project, the discussion quickly shifted to the latest estimate for a completion date.

Projected to be completed in May, the project has run long past that. Council members relayed their frustrations, along with the frustrations of neighboring residents, to Lingbeek about the delay.

“We are rapidly approaching the end,” said Lingbeek, saying that he hopes the project will be finished within six weeks.

Along with the pay request, the council also approved an amendment to the engineering agreement, allowing for an hourly fee not to exceed a total of $44,800 to see the project through to the finish.

These costs may potentially be recouped as the city considers liquidated damages with the contractor for the overrun, but for the moment the council and SHE are prioritizing seeing the project completed.

For other projects, the council approved pay request No. 2 for the 2024 Main Street Rehabilitation Project. The $156,818.70 pay request is for work completed during the month of June and city Engineer-in-Training Brian Sullivan reported that progress on the project is on schedule, if not a little ahead.

In other business, the council approved a street closure request from the Police Department for Kelly and Blunt streets around Central Park for this year’s National Night Out event. Scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 6, the event will feature inflatables, a shoe and backpack giveaway for kids, equipment demonstrations from the Fire Department, food trucks, face painting, balloon animals and more.

A water slide and water wall are also planned so parents and kids may want to consider dressing to get wet.

The council also approved the purchase of a new mower for Wildwood Golf Course. Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Mitchell reported that their current mower went out on them last Wednesday, prompting the need to start shopping for a new one.

“It’s definitely a mower we need on the greens,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell said that they have $25,000 budgeted for the mower and he has found a used 2012 mower that matches the golf course’s needs and price range. The older mower will be kept for parts.

The council also set public hearings for new ordinances as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Board.

The city is recommending a change that will allow for larger signs within 500 feet of the Avenue of the Saints. Current limitations on signs restrict them to 100 square feet. The new ordinance will increase that limit to 275 square feet, bringing the city in line with neighboring cities with similar ordinances.

The city is also recommending an increase in the allowable sidewall height from 10 to 12 feet, allowing for larger garages so long as they don’t exceed the height of the base structure. The same ordinance would also decrease the side and rear yard setbacks from 10 feet to 6 feet as the former was found to be too restrictive.

“Nobody could put a garage on the lawn that they have,” said Sullivan.

Continuing old business, the council set a public hearing date of Aug. 5 for the land swap agreement between the city and Floyd County Medical Center, which wishes to exchange 7.5 acres of land west of the hospital for the eastern portion of 13th Street. The Medical Center wants to eliminate the road to unify its properties as it expands southward. Meanwhile, the 7.5 acres would be suitable for additional housing developments in the area.

“It’s a real win-win for both entities,” said City Administrator Steve Diers.

The process of exchanging the land will require several months worth of meetings, with City Attorney Brian Sloter suggesting that it could be complete at about the same time the 13th Street extension, which will extend the road west to Corporate Drive, is finished.

Related to development of that area, the council held the third and final reading of an ordinance amending the city zoning ordinance to reclassify that portion of industrial park from M-2 Manufacturing to R-3 High Density Residential. This area includes the planned location of the Commonwealth project, which is scheduled to break ground next week.

The council also held the third and final reading of a pair of ordinances that eliminates the residential electric inspection position and the Electrical Trade Advisory Board. Due to a recent retirement, the city has transferred responsibility for residential inspections to the state inspector, who is already performing commercial and industrial inspections in town. As a result, the city needs to update the ordinance to reflect that change and shut down the now defunct electrical board.

Finally, the council went in to closed session for performance reviews of Sloter, Diers and City Clerk Trudy O’Donnell.

Following the reviews, the council approved amendments to the employee agreements for each employee. Sloter’s hourly rate has increased from $140 per hour to $150, the first increase since 2014. The retainer for his attendance at meetings will remain the same.

O’Donnell received a 6% raise and Diers received a 7% raise along with a change to his contract to allow for 12 months severance instead of six if terminated without cause.