By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

Williston City Manager Scott Lippmann announced Tuesday that the Veterans Memorial in Heritage Park will be repaired either Monday or Tuesday by Matthews Granite.

“They are committed that they will do it right,” Lippmann told Williston City Council members at their board meeting.

A subcontractor for Matthews Granite constructed the monument with flaws in several locations. Work was halted. The monument was measured for corrections and a crew will arrive after Thanksgiving weekend.

Problems with the monument’s construction caused quite a stir in the city and considerable frustration. The monument wasn’t ready for Veteran’s Day ceremonies, but the company never promised it would be ready by then.

The council appeared at ease about the project at Tuesday’s meeting for the first time since the problems surfaced. Lippmann said he talked to the company president and was assured workers would be here Monday or Tuesday.

The announcement resulted in an unusual request by Councilman Charles Goodman, a Vietnam veteran. He wondered what the company was going to do with the capstone, the massive piece of concrete on top of the monument that had the holes drilled in the wrong places.

He said if the company doesn’t want the old capstone, he would like to put it in his garden. Goodman said he would bring his trailer over to pick up the massive piece of concrete. Lippmann said it took a large crane to move the capstone into place. Goodman wasn’t worried. He said he could handle the job.

Losing Building and Zoning Contractor

M.T. Causley, the company that handled the city’s building inspections is cancelling its contract with the city on Dec. 13. The same company is halting operations in Bronson.

Lippmann said the city has two options for replacing the company. It can hire a part-time building official or it can find another company that does the same type of work.

But there is uncertainty.

Goodman noted that the Panhandle remains in crisis following Hurricane Michael and the city may find it challenging to find a company or an individual who can handle the work.

Lippmann said he talked to the county and they are willing to take over those duties for the time being while Williston tries to find a replacement for M.T. Causley.

The city manager said he would check with a company he is familiar with that does the same type of work as M.T. Causley, but last time he talked to the firm they had as much work as they could handle.

Grand Opening Moved Back

            Lippmann said the grand opening of Williston City Hall won’t occur in early December as originally discussed. He said the most likely scenario is for a grand opening sometime in early January after all the holidays.

He said he would prefer people tour City Hall when everything is in tip-top shape.

He said one of the problems in the new building is that cracks have formed in the masonry at the front entrance and that will have to be addressed by the contractor, Oelrich Construction.

Loud air conditioning and heating ducts in the city council meeting room ceiling aren’t as bad as they were when the council met there for the first time on Nov. 5, but they remain too loud.

“It’s less, but it’s still quite a bit,” said Council President Nancy Wininger.

Councilwoman Marguerite Robinson said she was having trouble hearing the council discussions at Tuesday’s meeting. She said the loud ducts were part of the problem. People were also talking loud in the lobby outside the council chambers. Robinson suggested adding microphones to amplify the voices of the council members and their staff.

Lippmann said he is working on the problem.

City Council Access

            City Hall was constructed with security in mind. All the doors in the new facility are secured by card key locks which limit access to the interior. City Council members also had limited access to the interior of the building until Tuesday night.

Mayor Jerry Robinson asked why the council didn’t have card key access to the interior. Other council members also saw no reason why they shouldn’t have key access to the interior.

Goodman said there were only two areas where council members probably shouldn’t be allowed to enter without permission, the city manager and city clerk offices. But beyond those two offices, he saw no reason to restrict the movements of city council members.

“I just think its unnecessary isolationism,” he said.

Lippmann agreed to give council members card key access to the interior of the building. They won’t need permission to go beyond the front desk anymore.

Getting Council Mail

            Moving into City Hall was a major undertaking. Council members knew where to find their mail in the old building. Robinson wondered when they would start getting their mail in the new building and where.

Lippmann told them he had set up mail slots for each council member just off the main lobby. The city manager delivered Robinson’s mail to him after the meeting.

Where’s Project List?

            Another casualty of the big move to City Hall was the project list Lippmann promised to develop. A draft copy has been written, but when the move occurred, the list never went beyond being a draft copy. Robinson asked about the project list.

Lippmann said he would prefer to give the council a more polished version of the project list rather than the draft. He said that could happen now that the move to City Hall is complete.

March City Election

            Council members approved the date of the next municipal election. City law requires the election to be held on the first Tuesday in March, which is March 4. The canvassing board was also selected.

Group B Councilman Elihu Ross, Group C Councilwoman Marguerite Robinson, and Group A Councilman Justin Head will be on the ballot assuming they qualify to run again.

 

City of Williston Regular Meeting November 20. 2018

Posted November 20, 2018