Report quite 'gloomy' (11/27/07)

DUNKIRK - "A gloomy picture" was painted for city council members here Monday regarding the status of city hall.

Reacting to a detailed presentation by environmental consultant Leemon Ward, Mayor Sam Hubbard commented, "That's kind of a gloomy report," and then quickly added, "But we didn't expect otherwise."

Meanwhile, city hall continues to only be open half-days and city council sessions as well as some other public meetings are being rescheduled to alternative locations due to odor problems and health concerns relating to city hall.

Although council members once again sidestepped taking any immediate action on the matter, toward the end of Monday night's session several members of the council, including Hubbard, agreed that setting up at least a temporary new quarters for the clerk-treasurer's office is something which should be seriously considered and done as quickly as arrangements can be made.

When pressed for a ballpark cost estimate to remedy the situation, Ward, a Dunkirk area resident and consultant for Environment Technology Consulting, a Fort Wayne firm, estimated basic remediation work on the building would start between $25,000 and $50,000.

Ward wondered aloud whether the building was structurally worth the investment.

Ward said that his company does the type of remediation work recommended in a recent 200-page report by ACM Engineering & Environmental Services of Fort Wayne.

Ward cited major problems - including bacteria, mold and E. coli, among other hazards - which could make the building a health hazard to city employees and the public.

He said there was a serious problem with pigeon feces on the second floor, where old city files and records have been stored.

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He said no one should be on the second floor due to the risk of histoplasmosis.

In the basement on the west side of the building is a pile of dirt with an unsavory smell, Ward said. "There's something in that soil, causing an odor," Ward said, pointing out that the pile of dirt is right underneath where the city clerk staff works.

In summary Ward described the whole situation, as "a gloomy-looking project."

In response Hubbard said that city officials would continue to "take a real serious look at this," with an eye toward moving to temporary quarters, perhaps across the street to a vacant building which is owned by former Dunkirk mayor Grant Fager Jr.

"I think the people who have been working up there (in city hall) probably should not have been working there," Ward said. "Absolutely, no one should be working on the second floor," he emphasized.

Hubbard said a decision on the future of the city hall structure should be made soon. Clerk-treasurer Jane Kesler pointed out that the city hall building's roof needs immediate repairs, too.

"Frankly, I don't think it's worth keeping," Hubbard said. However, no definite action concerning the building was taken at Monday's meeting.

"We're going to definitely have to look for somewhere else to stay" and run the city clerk's office, Hubbard commented, as the council meeting was about to conclude.

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

•Agreed to accept a bid of $4,000 for four city-owned pieces of downtown property in the area of Lincoln and Main Street. Plans call for putting a landscaped parking lot on the site. The Dunkirk Improvement Group, headed by Chuck Huffman, submitted the only bid on the property which had an assessed valuation of less than $6,000, according to city attorney William Hinkle who is also a member of the DIG.

"I think this is a good gesture on the part of the city to sell this parcel at this price," Hubbard said.

•Appointed Dunkirk resident Charmaine O'Conner to the city park board.

•Agreed to let Stafford Insurance Agency, Muncie, talk with city employees about possibly changing the city's employee health insurance provider to UnitedHealthcare at a substantial cost savings.

•Listened to a report from Hubbard about the Ind. 167 water main relocation project. The mayor said that there still appears to be three to four more weeks of work to be done.

In connection with the state highway project, some trees along Ind. 167 will be cut down in the next few days, Hubbard said.

The wood will be offered to area residents for firewood. To express interest in obtaining the wood, call city hall at (765) 768-6565.[[In-content Ad]]