MP aquatic center to delay opening

The Mt. Pleasant Family Aquatic Center will not be open on Memorial Day as it still needs to be inspected after undergoing some construction.

Brent Schleisman, city administrator, said that slides are up and the pool has been filled; however, they still have to wait on the state health inspector to do an inspection.

'We're at the mercy of the contractor and the state health inspector who inspects the slides,” Schleisman said during a city council meeting on Wednesday, May 22.

Schleisman said that they would ideally be open the weekend of June 1, and then closed again until school lets out for the summer. 'We'll let you know,” he said.

Schleisman also said they had a problem with the chemical feeder, but that is being corrected.

During the meeting, the city council set a public hearing and bid letting for the reconstruction of the airport runway; approved contracts for sanitary sewer maintenance and improvements for the library's HVAC controls; and approved the use of the city right of way by the Henry County Optimist Club.

The bid letting on the reconstruction of the municipal airport runway is Thursday, June 20, at 1:30 p.m., and the public hearing and awarding the contract is Wednesday, June 26, at 5:30 p.m.

The council approved an amendment to the project, which changed it from a rehabilitation project to a complete redesign and rebuild of the existing runway.

'When we first started the runway project, it was a rehabilitation project,” Schleisman said. 'After getting soil tests and looking at the existing runway, it's becoming a complete reconstruction.”

Schleisman said that everything has to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The council approved another five-year sanitary sewer maintenance contract with Municipal Pipe and Tool. Every year, the city allocates $5,000 to clean and video sanitary sewers in the city.

They also approved a contract with Johnson Control System for upgrades and improvements to the library and civic center's HVAC controls. The cost is $14,144. The agreement also includes annual maintenance to the service system for $2,736.

Schleisman said the current system is about 15 years old, and upgrades are needed.

Finally, the city council approved the use of the right of way by the Henry County Optimist Club. The Optimist Club has a fundraiser to sell and install the American flag along public streets. The Street Committee reviewed the agreement and recommended the council approve the use of the right of way for one year.

There are stipulations on how close the flags can be to the curb, sight restrictions on the length of the display and specific holidays.

The next Mt. Pleasant City Council meeting is Wednesday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m.