Two attend city's planning meeting
Staff writer
Marion County Commission Chairman Howard Collett and Marion Historical Society Museum Director Cynthia Blount were the only members of the "general public" who attended a public planning meeting for the city Monday.
Mayor Eloise Mueller had announced the meeting, the second in seven weeks, at the Oct. 6 city commission meeting.
City Administrator David Mayfield said three main objectives were identified at the Aug. 25 public planning and goals-setting meeting. They were:
1. To pursue economic development in Marion by fostering a business environment in which existing businesses can succeed and grow and by recruiting new businesses to Marion.
Mayfield said in order to achieve this goal, the city will have to avail itself of the services of various committees. Marion also will have to advertise itself, through the city Web site and other media. The .75-percent city sales tax can be utilized for this, he said. Aggressive recruitment of businesses will be necessary.
2. To complete the necessary upgrades at the city's water treatment plant to meet Kansas Department of Health and Environment water quality standards by Jan. 1, 2005. The deadline for this compliance has been extended by a year, Mayfield said.
The hoped-for upgrade of the plant would involve ozone technology, he said, and would add $800,000 to the cost, making the total price tag $1.6 million. Mayfield said if the city fails to get the $400,000 grant it seeks in Community Development Block Grant Funds for this, it will try to get other grant funds.
These might come from Rural Development or some other source. Also, the ozone upgrade might have to be postponed until another year.
3. To complete the 12.5 (12,500-volt) electric loop around Marion by Dec. 31, 2005.
Wind generation of some of the city's power might be feasible in eight or nine years, Mayfield said, but "we're locked into a contract with Westar now" for purchase of electricity.
Mayfield listed some new projects brought forward from the first meeting, Aug. 25. They included:
— Assisted living facility. Financing is nearly completed and groundbreaking should be conducted next month.
— In-car video cameras for the Police Department. Purchase of these items will be funded through grants.
— Bulletproof vests for police officers. These, too, will be funded by grants.
— Putting underground electric service in Central Park. This would eliminate poles, but is on the back burner for now, Mayfield said. It will have to be underwritten by grant funds, too, with an estimated cost of $60,000.
— A new swimming pool. Grant funds will be needed to accomplish this. This was one of the most-often mentioned needs at the Aug. 25 meeting.
— Downtown revitalization. This, too, Mayfield said, will require grant funds.
He said sewer line and water line improvements and street replacements were also mentioned at the earlier meeting.
These items have been identified in the city's five-year capital plan, on a priority basis, Mayfield said. Funding is to come from transfers from various departments, through the budget.
"This plan was implemented by the former city administrator in 1999, and we will need to build some reserves in the future to address these issues," Mayfield said.
He said he would like "to have our business members come together to formulate future plans for the City of Marion to accomplish our long-range goals for economic development
Blount spoke of the need for central air conditioning and heating for the museum. Covering of windows and better insulation will be needed, too, or lots of energy will be wasted, she said.
When the building does get central air and heat, it might be possible to keep the museum open 10 months a year, all but January and February, she said.
Paper and silk items are going to be lost, and there's nothing to be done about that, she added.
Fire Chief Thad Meierhoff said he would like to see the city's insurance classification drop from the current 7 to 6 or lower. The classification depends on water lines, water distribution, and other city characteristics and statistics.
