Public hearing set for Winfield pool

BY BRYCE KELLY and KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

WINFIELD ? It might be the middle of winter, but that isn?t stopping the City of Winfield from looking towards the future of the city?s outdoor pool project.

As of Wednesday?s meeting, the city received the approval of the council to set a public hearing for Jan. 11, at the start of the council?s regular monthly meeting, on a proposed loan for the pool.

?The city is allowed to borrow up to $400,000 without having to have a referendum,? explained city clerk Angie Oepping. ?This loan will help us apply for certain grants that require us to have at least half the money needed for the project before we can even apply for the grant itself. So borrowing $400,000 will get us to that point where we can apply for these grants.?

The loan will not exceed $400,000.

Another project that the city has been working on for some time is currently at a standstill and they have Mother Nature to thank for that. According to information presented during Wednesday?s meeting, the city library?s roof will have to be put on hold until the weather cooperates with the needs of the roofing contractors assigned to the project.

?The company that is set to work on the roof just needs a series of at least four days in the mid to upper thirties before they can do anything,? said Oepping. ?Right now, that?s all in Mother Nature?s hands. There?s just not much we can do about that.?

Moving on to a recurring agenda item the council has been reviewing for several months, the board again discussed overdue improvements to be made at 108 N. Olive Street. Owned by Richard Hughes, of Winfield, the home in question on N. Olive St. has been the topic of much discussion for the city council for over a year. Most currently, the board has ordered Hughes to make repairs to the house?s back roof as well as the structure?s falling turrets. In the case of both items, Hughes has failed to comply with the council?s requests to repair the house.

During Wednesday?s meeting, Winfield mayor Chris Finnell brought cost estimates to repair the house?s roof and turrets. Finnell said estimates to fix the turrets came in at around $30,000.

?We?ve had a hard time getting quotes on the roof because no one wants to get on the roof,? he said. However, Finnell said he thought they were looking at an easy $60,000 to fix both the turrets and the roof.

The property, on the other hand, is only valued at roughly $13,400. The council agreed that fixing the home did not seem cost effective.

The council tossed around various ideas with the homeowner about renting an apartment or small house in town. Hughes, however, remained adamant that he wants to stay in the deteriorating structure.

Finnell stated he and other members of the council would get together with Hughes to discuss other options for him.

In other news the council:

? Moved to postpone the approval of a water tower maintenance contract with Maguire Iron due to a large increase in the yearly contract cost. The board moved to inquire about the large increase in price from Maguire Iron, and also look at other companies who do the same type of work to see if a lower price can be acquired.

? Approved the 2017 seal coat proposal from L.L. Pelling for city streets. The only changes in price from past years was in the cost of cold patching, which made a slight increase from $195 per ton to $205 a ton.

? Approved a resolution to set a public hearing on a proposal to dispose of property at 306 East Elm, which the city has acquired. The public hearing was set for Jan 11, 2017, at 5 p.m.

After adjourning, the council was invited to tour new apartments located at 103 East Elm, in Winfield. Several members of the council attended the tour.

The next Winfield City Council meeting will be held on Jan. 11, 2017, at 5 p.m., in the Winfield City Hall.