Winfield continues search for the right roof contractor

BY BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

Despite receiving three separate bids from out of town roofing contractors for work to the Winfield Library and Fire Station roof, Winfield City Council is still on the hunt for the right business for the job.

Dearborn Becker Roofing, of Ottumwa, submitted the lowest bid for the project at $39,600, which the council thought was still too high for what the city wanted to spend. Originally, the council opened bidding for the project to local contractors, but after receiving none, opened bidding to any interested contractor.

?These bids we have received are all really high, I feel, for what we are needing done on the roof,? said Winfield mayor, Chris Finnell, to which the board agreed. ?I am wondering if we should be actively calling other builders and inquiring about their interest in the project.?

The council agreed to continue the search.

Also continuing on is the fundraising efforts for the upcoming Winfield pool. During the August council meeting, the board discussed their plans for fundraising for the project, agreeing that they wanted to procure roughly $665,000 in private donations. During Monday night?s regular city council meeting, Finnell had some positive news to report to the council.

?I met with the Henry County Board of Supervisors and I am expecting a letter of support for the pool for what we asked for, but I won?t know for sure until I get it. In any case, the supervisors were very gracious and receptive to what I presented,? said Finnell.

Finnell also reported meeting with representatives with Louisa County and staff at the Winfield-Mt. Union School District. According to Finnell, Louisa County will not be able to contribute financially to the pool project, but will give the City of Winfield a letter of support to do individual fundraising efforts in Louisa County.

?I also went to the school here in town and met with the employees there,? Finnell said. ?They were all very receptive and didn?t hear anything negative from them. Overall, we are working hard to get stuff raised. Once we get committees finalized, we will be going door-to-door asking for donations and sending out applications for grants.?

Finnell also has plans to visit with Washington County supervisors. The City of Winfield has already approved a $100,000 contribution to go towards the project.

Moving on to other matters, the council revisited a nuisance abatement issue for a property at 108 N. Olive Street. During their May meeting, the council stated they had been working with the owner of the house for nearly a year on repairing the home. The house had two porches removed, but the council also asked the owner to repair the roof and tuckpoint around a turret.

The owner was originally given a May 9 deadline to have the repairs completed. However, during the council?s regular meeting in May, it was noted that the repairs had still not been made.

?We gave him an extension on the original deadline and have sent him a letter detailing what needed to be done,? said city clerk, Angie Oepping. ?He knew from the letters and other discussions we?ve had with him that if he didn?t comply by the correct date, we would have to proceed with the nuisance abatement.?

According to officials, the city has received complaints regarding the residence, asking that the situation get resolved. The council agreed to take additional steps to resolve the issue.

?We do appreciate the work that has been done and it (the residence) is better than what it was,? said Finnell. ?But there is still some work that needs to be done, so we need to move forward with making sure that happens.?

In other news, the council:

? Approved a contract with Hewitt?s Trash and Waste Hauling as the city?s garbage provider.

? Set the date for the Halloween Fest Celebration for Saturday, Oct. 29, with a hot dog roast from 5 to 7 p.m. More details surrounding that event will be released at a later date.

? Set the date and time for city trick-or-treat night for Monday, Oct. 31, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

? Reviewed the city?s policy not allowing chickens or roosters to live within city limits.

? Approved the annual city street financial report.

? Further reviewed the city?s policy on golf carts and ATV operation. At the request of the council, the Winfield Police Chief will be putting together a list of streets within the city that golf carts and ATVs may cross or drive on.

The next Winfield City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Winfield City Hall.