Officials were asked to rezone the south industrial park from light industrial to heavy industrial at the April 13 Durant city council meeting. The request to change four lots was approved and will be sent to the planning and zoning commission.
This is a step forward for Quad River, LLC, which has been working with MSA Professional Services and the Durant Development Corporation. Kevin Bailey, team leader for MSA, said there were three key concerns that were researched before bringing the idea to council.
The first was whether or not heavy industrial waste would empty into the sewers. Research found that there would not be industrial strength waste emitted by this company.
Secondly, there was a concern for a capacity of water supply. Bailey said there would be ample supply and capacity. The last issue dealt with water pressure. Analysis showed that there would not be enough water pressure during peak usage.
Bailey recommended the company install a storage tank on-site to use during peak times. He said the company already does this at other locations. “Our recommendation is to approve the Quad River, LLC development,” Bailey told council, under the assumption they would install the tank.
Council unanimously approved. City Clerk Deana Cavin said construction for the new facility could begin as early as June.
Durant police asks for code changes
Police Chief Orville Randolph told officials that currently traffic tickets are written on state code. He would like to instead write them on the city’s code. He said recently all of the city’s codes were integrated with the department’s software, making the change possible and asked if it could be possible to begin in July.
“With these extraordinary times we have right now, we haven’t had a high volume of traffic,” he said.
Writing the ticket on the city code allows more of the funds to get diverted back to the city. However, if a case were to be disputed and taken to court, the city would be responsible for providing a legal defense instead of the county.
Randolph said the officers can go between writing on the city and state codes; writing on state if they think it could go to court. He added that the city attorney was already assisting with nuisance and other issues for the city.
Officials discussed what happens when ordinances change, speed zones, stop signs and more. The attorney recommended the city wait until July 1 in order to budget for attorney fees. Council members and the mayor also wanted more information on what neighboring towns do and how many tickets go to court over a given period of time. The topic was tabled for research.
Randolph also advised that the types of calls the department has seen due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been a little different. “It’s just been a unique time,” he said. He reminded officials social distancing and the number of people meeting together was being monitored. “Everybody’s been pretty cooperative,” he added.
Joey Gehrls estate gift finalized
Upon his passing, local philanthropist Joey Gehrls made donations to several local organizations, including a sizeable gift to the city of Durant. City Attorney Julie Sprague asked that council approve the mayor to authorize the signing of receipt and waiver for the memorial money.
The receipt, consent and waiver states the city will or has received the funds, consents to closing the estate and the final report of executors, and the city waives its right to request a court hearing on the executor’s final report.
Gehrls had gifted the city 115 acres of farmland to sell. The appraised value and sale price was $1.319 million. Closing cost and attorney fees were paid, with total distribution to the city coming in at $1,281,882.38. Sprague anticipates a check will be delivered to the city by the end of the month.
COVID-19 affecting city projects
The city is already looking at ways to cut costs due to COVID-19. Cavin said that at minimum, road use tax funds would be reduced by 25 percent due to travel across the state dropping by 50 percent as a result of the pandemic. The city has begun revising how it will use its already limited resources even more wisely.
To concrete Yankee Avenue to the lift station would have cost an estimated $170,000 minimum. Bailey expected the actual figure to be more than double the initial one presented due to having to fill ditches, install storm pipe and move hydrants. Council decided instead to asphalt the area at a cost of $33,360.
Officials chose to rescind approval for Shilo repairs, hoping the work can be done in a year or two. The change keeps the city from spending just over $66,000 on the project during these uncertain times.
Finally, public works has reduced the amount of streets that will be seal coated. The initial cost to do the city was $62,033.25, but officials were able to bring the total down to $46,437 by approving revisions.
Miscellany
In other action, council:
* Opened the meeting with the approval of the agenda, approval of city bills and approval of the minutes for the March 23 council meeting.
* Council discussed meeting with the public works committee to discuss a position for a summer/fall opening. It was tabled until the next meeting due to COVID-19 restrictions.
* Approved a complaint form policy and process for citizens to follow. Cavin said the goal would be to have the forms online as well as on the city’s website, Facebook page and at City Hall.
* Approved the March financial statements.
* Approved a bid for $2,447 to install a security camera system at City Hall.
* The start of the Durant Farmer’s Market was tentatively pushed back to the first week in June. Council also discussed waiving the fee for venders due to the shortened season. They chose to leave that decision up to the community center board, which organizes the weekly event.
Council members Noel Price, Dave Schulz and Diane Quiram called into the meeting. Council members Dan Sterner, Kevin Mundt and Mayor Scott Spengler were present. All action taken was unanimous unless otherwise noted. The next city council meeting will be held on Monday, April 27 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.