Staff writer
Several issues of concern were presented to Marion City Council on Tuesday.
Norma Kline asked the council to pay a $112 bill to Flaming’s after an air conditioner in Marion Senior Center kitchen went out at the beginning of the month. It was found to be non functioning because of city power lines, she said.
“A city crew was called and after they left the air conditioner worked for a while then stopped,” Kline said.
Thinking the air conditioner may have gone out, Flaming’s was called again.
“The city replaced a transformer across the street, after the unit worked well and continues to work well,” Kline said.
Christian Pedersen told Kline he felt the bill should be presented to insurance, but insurance refused to pay, Kline said.
“Maybe we should have called the city first but we didn’t think to because that air conditioner was the only thing not working,” she said. “We can pay the bill but it’s not funds the senior center needs to pay because it was not our issue, it was the city’s transformer preventing the unit from working.”
Mayor Todd Heitschmidt asked administrator Roger Holter to look into the matter and to recommend a decision at the next meeting.
Other residents concerns were voiced by councilmember Jerry Kline during a discussion of a proposed roundabout at First and Main Sts.
“I’ve been taking a lot of heat,” he said.
Concerns raised by Kline included harvest truck traffic, which Kline believes will pick up due to the grain shuttle built near Canton.
“How will they navigate the roundabout?” he said.
The roundabout is a part of a proposed grant to eliminate the bump near Main and Billings St. caused by a former railroad track.
The project is estimated to cost $620,000 with the city matching at most $120,000.
The match portion could be 0 because of the city’s size in the last census and for projects like this the state will pay up to $700,000, Holter said.
Heitschmidt said the land needed for the roundabout would be equivalent to four parking spaces, and that property owners in the adjoining area support the project.
A site visit for the proposed project, which if approved would begin in 2017, is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 12 at the intersection.
In other business:
- A public hearing was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. June 9 to discuss the condition of a structure at 810 Hudson St. owned by Timothy Hett. The structure caught fire earlier this year, but after it was found to have asbestos siding, Hett isn’t sure how to remove the structure.
- A payment of $10,215 was approved to EBH Engineering for work on the street project.
- A license was approved for Wholesale Fireworks Enterprises of Andover. They will have a tent in the parking lot of the youth center.
- Vernon Bowers, Bruce Winkler, and Pauline Holub were appointed to the library board. Their term is through April 2018.
- A motion was approved to provide Chingawassa Days buttons to city employees for the next four years at a cost of $598 for the four years.
- A retreat was scheduled for June 20 and 21 to discuss the budget and budget direction. The exact time and place has yet to be determined. A budget workshop was scheduled for noon June 5 at the city building.
- A dividend check from EMC Insurance in the amount of $10,387 was presented to the council by Alex Case.