City hall move delayed (01/15/08)

DUNKIRK - Plans for moving city offices to temporary quarters remain on hold.

And that move won't happen until the temporary location passes an inspection by city officials.

Facing continued hesitation from the clerk-treasurer and receiving new information about possible problems with the 202 S. Main St. building, city council members voted to delay the move until the new site is inspected.

City hall has been open half-time for the past month and a half due to health-related concerns.

Last Thursday's tentative starting date for the move didn't yield any results, and councilman Tom Johnson said Monday that several details about the proposed new location need to be ironed out.

Johnson said these relate to telephone service and other solvable points, but noted there has been one obstacle after another relating to this temporary move idea.

One of the main obstacles has been clerk Jane Kesler, who announced Monday that she was willing to stay at the present city hall location, even on a full time basis, rather than make the move across the street.

A lease for the temporary city offices was signed last month between city officials and the building's owner, Grant Fager Jr., but the city clerk-treasurer's office continues to be located in city hall at 131 S. Main St. where mold, mildew, sewage odor, pigeon contamination and other problems persist.

Kesler said beginning this week city hall will be once again open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday.

Council representative Judith Garr said she was concerned about the health of the city employees as well as liability questions for the council if the problems at the present city hall are not addressed as quickly as possible. The health of the employees is "very important," she said.

"Personally, I'd feel better if we get the employees out as soon as possible," Garr said.

Also voicing opinions were area resident Stan Pitman, once again recommending that the council lease or purchase the former license branch structure on South Main Street, and Dunkirk resident Rick Buckner, who pointed out that his computer business was located at the 202 S. Main St. address for several years, and he was very disgruntled about the building when he moved out.

Buckner said that he had experienced problems with the roof leaking and electrical service being inadequate.

Following more debate, Garr made a motion to make the move to the Fager building contingent on a favorable inspection of the structure by city officials.

Johnson seconded the motion, and it was approved unanimously.

Meanwhile, Kesler said the city clerk-treasurer's office would remain open on a full-time basis at the 131 S. Main St. site.

She added that city officials are currently advertising for the replacement of the city hall roof, and specifications would be available at city hall prior to the awarding of a contract for that job on Feb. 11.

Johnson said that plans to use special video cameras to inspect sewer pipes in the downtown area are still in the works, and he hopes to complete that project as quickly as possible.

In other business at Monday's meeting, council members:

•Listened to a presentation from Michael Stafford Jr. of Stafford Insurance, Muncie, about switching the employee health insurance policy from Anthem-Blue Cross and the Barnum-Brown Insurance Agency of Dunkirk to UnitedHealthCare and his agency. Stafford said such a move could potentially save the city $30,000 a year with the benefits being basically the same.

However, Bob Brown and Aaron Walter, representing Barnum-Brown, asked for an opportunity to respond to this new proposal. Council members agreed to set up a special meeting just to discuss the insurance issues with Stafford and Barnum-Brown representatives present as well as city employees.

•Heard a report about a tanker truck using a city sanitary sewer to dump liquid waste near the Dunkirk Industrial Park. Garr made a motion to take steps to have the city police department and Greg Buckner, city wastewater treatment superintendent, immediately investigate this situation and report back to the council. Her motion won unanimous approval.

•Approved proposals from Chuck Huffman to allow the Dunkirk Investment group to proceed with plans to get a grant for planning purposes in the downtown area and also investigate the possibility of installing decorative, old-fashioned style street lights in the downtown.

Huffman's group also received permission to temporarily place a dumpster in an alley near the old Todd Opera House building to help with cleanup efforts there.

•Agreed that due to winter weather conditions, water bills would be estimated this month rather than actual readings being taken.

•Heard a report from Kesler that starting in February, separate water shut-off notices will not be sent to residents. Instead the water shut-off policy will be noted in the bills of residents who fail to make payments on time. This will save the city postage, Kesler said.

•Approved city claims with one exception. This was for a $5,744 piece of equipment at the water treatment plant from Clearwater Ozone of Fort Wayne. Garr and water department superintendent Dace Mumbower reported that the piece of equipment was not functioning properly, and they requested that payment be withheld until satisfactory repairs were made.[[In-content Ad]]