BERNIE, Mo. -- The Bernie Board of Aldermen awarded the contract for repaving some streets in the city to Delta Apex Paving of Cape Girardeau, Mo., at their regular meeting Monday night. The city received two sealed bids for the repaving, and Delta was the low bidder with a bid of $81 per ton of asphalt. Delta estimated the total cost of the project at $77,760.
The other bid was submitted by Asa Asphalt of Advance, Mo., who submitted a bid of $89.50 per ton.
Alderman Ivan Mekan asked what the thickness of the asphalt overlay was to be in each of the bids. Asa did not include that information, while Delta's bid called for one inch of asphalt overlay.
City Superintendent Charlie Dean said the specifications on the bid package called for one and one-half inches of overlay compacted to one inch. He said the submitted bids were supposed to meet those specifications.
Mekan made a motion to award the contract to Delta, and it was seconded by Alderman Dennis Jackson. It passed by a 5-0 vote with Mekan, Jackson, Ray Coats, Tim Gage and Barry Zimmerman present. Alderman Todd Young arrived later in the meeting.
Each year the city alternates between sidewalks and street improvements. Last year it was sidewalks, so this year it will be streets.The following streets were included: S. Drake from W. Main south to the end of S. Drake; N. Miller from E. Hunts Road south to E. Crumb; W. Allis from N. Drake west to N. Stewart; W. Fordyce from N. Allen west to N. Spiker; Mulberry from W. Allis south to W. Crumb; S. Allen from Pointer 30 feet south; E. Kennedy from Winchester Road; and Hobgood from Winchester Road.
The aldermen postponed action of a proposed ordinance to amend the municipal code to allow residents to operate utility vehicles inside the city limits if the resident meets the guidelines and receives a permit from the police department. Use of these vehicles will not be allowed on Highway 25, Route Z or Route U in the city.
Mayor David Teeters said a section allowing utility vehicles to operate one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sunrise needed to be amended. He said the ordinance called for at least two 2-inch reflective surfaces or a rear-facing red lamp on the rear of the vehicle. Teeters said he did not think a 2-inch reflective surface was sufficient for safety reasons. He proposed to strike that from the ordinance and require a rear-facing red lamp.
City Clerk Gloria Dean said the aldermen could not alter the ordinance as written. Instead, the ordinance would have to be rewritten by City Attorney Robin Northern. Northern was unable to attend the meeting.
Mekan made a motion to postpone approval of the ordinance until the next meeting, and it passed by a 5-0 vote.
Zimmerman told the aldermen that the city needed to purchase a new police vehicle. He said the 2008 Crown Victoria has 126,000 miles on it. He noted that the city did not purchase a new police vehicle last year.
Mekan said there was a lease program available to cities. He asked Police Chief Justin Allen to explain the lease program.
Allen said the city could lease a new vehicle under the Municipal Lease Program. He said it was basically a finance program, but it offered some options not in a regular lease program. He said the city could opt out if they found they could not afford the vehicle without a penalty. He also said the city would own the vehicle after a specified payment period for a nominal payment.
Gage said the city managed to balance the budget last year because of an extremely cold winter. He said the prior years were not as good, and he would like to see how this year goes before committing to a new police vehicle.
Coats agreed, noting that the mileage on the vehicle was not that high and work had been done on the Crown Victoria to keep it on the road.
"It's not just the mileage," noted Zimmerman. "It's the hours and wear that is on the current vehicle."
Teeters said the city did have a "pretty good year" in 2013-14, but he would like to see it become a trend before deciding to buy a new vehicle.
Allen was asked about grant money, and he said he had looked into it. He said they would not know until later in July whether any grant money would be available.
Mekan made a motion to table the proposal until the August meeting, and it passed by a 5-0 vote.
Gage wanted to know what caused the loss of water pressure in the city on June 29. He noted that a warning light did not function properly, and said it needed to be repaired.
Dean said there was a bad starter relay on the back-up pump, which prohibited it comeing on. He said an electrician had been scheduled to repair the problem and also the problem with the warning light.
Coats said a list of suggested improvements had been given to him by the Park Committee. Teeters said he had received the list as well, and the budget committee would consider the requests at their next meeting. The park improvements would be considered when the budget is submitted.
The alderman discussed taking bids to sell a 1988 Bronco and an old tractor owned by the city. Teeters said he had several calls of interest on the Bronco. G. Dean said a title was found for the tractor, but no title was found for the Bronco.
Several aldermen said they thought the city would get more selling the items for scrap. Zimmerman suggested they take the vehicles to MFA to weigh them, and they would know how much they would bring for scrap. It was noted that the Bronco did not run. Coats and Mekan both agreed that selling them for scrap metal was probably the best.
Mekan made a motion to sell the items for scrap metal, and it was seconded by Zimmerman. It passed by 5-0 vote.
Teeters reported that repairs had been made to a city trailer and the company "did a good job." He said the trailer had been straightened and repainted, and new tires and new tail lights installed.
Teeter informed the aldermen that the sewer plant had been serviced and some parts had to be replaced at a cost of $7,689.
"It involved bolts and rollers in the pit," said Teeters.
He said the service would be required "every other year."
He said the sewer plant was performing well and there was a lot of money invested in it, so it was important to keep the plant maintained.