Redfield City Council discusses CARES Act funds, current projects
By Shiloh Appel
During the Monday, July 6th meeting of the Redfield City Council via Zoom, the council decided to accept the funds provided through the Airport Grant Cares Act. The Redfield airport will receive approximately $30,000 of grant funds once all documents are completed.
“Part of the CARES Act funding was every airport in the United States got money,” said Finance Officer, Adam Hansen. “If we use it for operations or stuff like that, basically it is ‘here you go.’ If we use it for a project, then you [have to] go through environmental ‘this and that.’”
The council also discussed the Airport Runway Project. According to Hansen, change order #3 2017 for the Airport Runway Project is to approve the installation of a culvert on the south side of the airport so that the “water will equalize.”
A motion was made by Siebrecht and seconded by Lewis to approve the change order in the amount of $6,540.00.
While discussing Pay Request #1 to J&J Earth Works, Inc. for the Water and Wastewater System Improvements Project (Phase I), City Council President Randy Maddox questioned whether or not the big hole by the lumber yard had ever been finished.
“The sewer is completely done on [July] 9th,” said Hansen. “The water main is done. Now they gotta do the services. They are almost done there. It’s three and a half weeks they are on that one block.” A motion was made by Lewis and seconded by Morrissette to approve the pay request for the project in the amount of $505,233.27. The motion was then carried on a roll call vote.
A motion was also carried on a roll call vote to approve Pay Request #2 to Dahme Construction Co. Inc. (Commercial Lane Sewer) in the amount of $54,113.42.
Under ordinances and resolutions, the COVID Cares Act resolution was read aloud by Hansen.
“As you have all seen, we got $513,000 allocated to us. Solely based on population. We were scratching our heads as to what we can do. Of course, we put some money into City Hall,” said Hansen. “We bought PPE’s. We bought hand sanitizers and stuff like that. We are talking a few thousand dollars. Not $513,000. We found out just last week through NECOG that our policing expenses from March 1st through December 31st 2020 count: $27,083 a month as of last week, times nine months, we are going to be reimbursed. Now, just today it changed. It would be just the personnel side of those costs. So, Theresa gets to figure out how much of the budget is personnel side. If it is 80%, we get 80% of that $27,000.”
Hansen asked if the council had any other ideas on how to use the rest of the funds.
“Just today, actually, the Fire Department and EMS got added to it. This money can also be used at the hospital, but you all know they got that big pot of money over there that they are going to use, so I am not even telling them about this pot of money right now because they have to figure out what they are going to do with that pot of money before we get to this pot of money,” said Hansen. “If you guys have ideas, let me know. We have all the way up to December 31st to spend this money.”
Under information and discussion items, Maddox brought up the RADC discussion about bringing another motel to town.
“It is just discussion right now. Those guys are trying to think all the time to figure out the things we can and can’t do. It is a feasibility study,” said Maddox. “…I sit on the RADC board and my thought was: is that something that we, as a city, could put some money in to help them with that?…Is it worth the gamble? That is the question I guess.”
Hansen also announced to the council that Redfield was approved for the Department of Health Mosquito Control Grant that was awarded to more than 200 South Dakota cities, counties and tribes.
Redfield was approved for just shy of $5,000 and Spink County received $6,000.
“It will help offset our mosquito spraying costs, which have already gone over $20,000,” said Hansen. “Jim was spraying three days a week. Depending on weather, we will stay at three times. If it is raining, we will go down to two. Those barrels -they are about $5,000 a barrel, they last about two sprayings. It is half a barrel per spraying. And it is $5,000 a barrel. They also do the larvacide and treat the water and all that. They are doing a good job, it is just very, very expensive.”
Purchasing tablets for all city council members was also a topic of discussion.
“I got a quote for that, and it was about $20,000 to get you all one of these,” said Hansen, in reference to a personal tablet. “I can always ask the State because of the Corona thing. Apparently, a lot of them are saying that the state right now is saying ‘no.’ So, worst case scenario, we spend $20,000 bucks and you guys would all have these. Here is the kicker, either we have a Corona outbreak again this fall and we are back to our houses and use them, or we bring them to City Hall [if there is no outbreak]. All the bigger cities have this or something built in. So my thought process is move forward and we would get all of you one of these lovely things.”
“It would be really handy if we all had them,” said Maddox.
“I think I am just going to go ahead and purchase. I think there are twelve of them. If we get paid back, great. If not, we have a little bit of money that I didn’t think we were going to have. Personally, I like these. It is touch screen. I can touch and do everything. They are very simple to use,” said Hansen.
The council also briefly discussed the proposed EMS building.
“Mike [Sanger] did talk about borrowing the money over five years. I thought that was a good idea,” said Maddox. The city council also discussed the County commissioners’ response to the proposed EMS building.
“I sat right there and listened to one of the commissioners go ‘where do we cut $50,000 from?’ And I had an idea, but I didn’t share it. …Since we are talking the County side of stuff, there has also been a request for us to meet with them about negotiating a change in price for law enforcement. That showed up right after the last meeting. That is on the table. We don’t have to deal with that until the end of the year,” said Maddox.
As for the Hav-A-Rest bathhouses discussed in the previous City Council meeting, Hansen reported that “Jessens and DeYoung” have been working on getting the humidity out and “fixing things up in there.”
The council went into executive session at 8:18p.m. and the meeting was later adjourned at 8:33p.m.
