Councilors approve $43,000 on new fire station
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Lisa Dell’Amore
Iowa Park Journal
Iowa Park City Council members consented to a near $43,000 project change order last week submitted for the new fire station despite a protest by a single councilor.
Council member Stephanie Wooten argued that the request by Anthony Inman Construction of Wichita Falls to increase project costs was growing weary.
“We can’t just keep on getting hit on change after change order after change order,” Stephanie told Anthony Inman, owner of the construction company and present at the meeting.
Inman countered Wooten ‘s resistance explaining that the original approval of the new fire station project in March 2023 excluded an exhaust system in the apparatus bays. The architect and some engineers associated with the project offered that a gas detection system at the apparatus bays is required in order to receive a certificate of occupancy.
When councilor Sherry Williams queried City Manager Jerry Flemming where the near $43,000 would come from, Flemming answered that there were sufficient funds in Certificates of Deposits that had not yet been tapped.
Additionally, Anthony Inman Construction submitted a proposal to extend the western portion of the new fire station in the amount of $9,555 for consideration by the council.
In other issues, councilors agreed to increase residential solid waste collection and disposal services with IESI TX Corporation, otherwise known as Waste Management. Again, Wooten decried the rise in the monthly charge.
“I hate to keep on seeing us raked over the coals,” she voiced.
Council members also approved a request by the Chamber of Commerce to portion off some of the streets for the city’s annual Whoop-T-Do celebration last Saturday.
Residents in the 700 block of West Rebecca sought, and received consensus by councilors to close their block for a neighborhood Halloween Festival on Thursday, October 31, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Furthermore, City Council approved the final plats of two sections of Bell Road Estates, currently being developed by Hooper Construction, Wichita Falls, for a detention facility. A street name was also being changed from Athena Drive and Abby Drive to Allen Court and Cole Court.
Police Chief Steve Davis asked council members to establish a reimbursement measure for off-duty officers who accepted security assignments outside of the city limits, but within Wichita County. Councilors agreed that those who hired off-duty police officers for private functions, not the police officers, would compensate the city s flat fee for fuel, wear-and-tear, and general use of the vehicle used in the county.
A unified decision was also made to present 2024 City Employee Service Awards on the second Friday in January. Awards are given to those employees with 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service.
Annual 2024 Performing Evaluations for city staff is scheduled before January 15th for all employees with at least nine months of service since the completion of their probation period.
Historically, the evaluations have been in the council’s Executive Session, now scheduled for the latter part of January. Per the City Charter, the City Manager ‘s evaluation is done by the City Council and must be in writing.
