New London approves sanitation contract, lays off three employees

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

NEW LONDON ? The New London City Council voted to lay off three city employees after approving a contract for sanitation services.

The decision to lay off the two part-time and one full-time employees was made at the city council meeting Tuesday night after the council approved a three-year contract with Waste Management.

?It?s not a personal issue. It?s a business issue totally for the City of New London,? said Councilman Dan Berner.

The city decided to pursue contracting out the sanitation services because of the high cost of purchasing a new garbage truck for the city. Basically, the city is saving the cost of a replacement vehicle, explained Councilman Mark Hempen.

?This is probably the toughest decision that?s been in front of us in my short time,? said Tony Kempker, councilman. ?I just don?t know where we?re ever going to get the money to get the truck.?

In other business, the council awarded a demolition bid for the house located at 307 West Main Street, the site of the future veterans? memorial, to Jon Fye Excavating. The company bid to do the project at no cost, only asking the city to pay the tonnage disposal fee.

?So basically from Jon Fye Excavating, they?ll take the house down at no cost, tear out the foundation, take away the foundation, take away the rubble. But, they don?t want to pay for the dumping of the rubble, which I have no idea how much that would be. I can?t imagine it?s $8,500 or $10,500,? said Mayor Mike McBeth.

The other two bids for the demolition project were Williams Excavation at $8,500 and J and J Contracting at $10,500.

City Clerk Kasi Lenz commented that the city gets a credit at the landfill every year, which it normally uses for the city wide cleanup. The city could potentially use the credit to dump the rubble from the house, and have less to use for the cleanup.

McBeth said the company also had questions about filling the foundation, which would depend on the plans for the memorial and the weight of the stone.

?We obviously wouldn?t want the memorial to sink,? said McBeth. He said the company questioned whether dirt would be enough or whether there would need to be gravel underneath the dirt.

?In my opinion it should be rock, because there was always a water issue there,? said Denny Bozarth, public works supervisor.