Rainstorms last Friday morning caused street flooding issues in Hennessey when only the night before the town board approved grant paperwork to deal with one phase of that problem.

A $141,600 Community Development Block Grant was approved for the first phase of the twophase sewer drain repair project. The town pays $17,072.50 of the $258,672.50 project cost.

This first phase will make repairs near the Cristo Rey Church and all streets on Walnut to First Street.

The town approved a contract with NODA to handle the CDBG grant.

Phase 2 includes Third, Fourth and Fifth streets west of Mitchell Road. No funding on that project has been approved.

The contractor on the new project is Cowan Group Engineering, Oklahoma City. Mayor Bert Gritz said after the

Mayor Bert Gritz said after the meeting that in 1981 or 1982 the town replaced the culverts under Mitchell Road at Oklahoma Avenue to stop the drainage issues on Third, Fourth and Fifth streets.

All members of the board were present: Gritz, Vice Mayor Clif Vogt, Wes Hardin, Keith Meek and Richard Simunek.

Staff at the meeting were Administrator/Clerk Tiffany Tillman, Police Chief Hank Weber and Public Works employees Brian Henderson and Kyle Watkins. Weber left before the meeting was over.

Others in the audience were Scottie Hajek and Ivan Cabral.

S.H. 51 Sewer Project

Cowan Group’s preliminary engineering report on the second phase of the sewer line extension to the north side of State Highway 51 was approved and will now go to DEQ for permitting.

“The lift station is already in,” said Tillman, “so we need to get the sewer lines in.”

She said the lift station is on the north side of S.H. 51 (at Seaboard truck wash) and the town has $220,000 loan money left to cover the sewer lines.

“The line will run west toward the Dollar General store,” she said. “And Scottie Hajek has agreed to give us the right-of-way north.”

Tillman said the permits will run about $300 and suggested the town pay for Hajek’s permit too. “Absolutely,” said Gritz.

“Absolutely,” said Gritz.

Waterline on Conoco Road

“Wouldn’t it be cheaper to run a water line south from Seventh Street on Cemetery Road to Conoco Road?” asked Hardin.

“We need to explore that,” said Gritz. “At some point it needs to loop. We don’t want a dead end…A bonus would be to put fire hydrants over there.”

Hardin asked his question during discussion of the $200,000 estimate extending the water line. That item was tabled so the board could get more information.

Meek suggested a special meeting, if needed, to get the project off the ground.

The original plan was to run an eight-inch water line from Energy Meter Systems on the east side of U.S. Highway 81 to the west on Conoco Road.

There were questions about if there is a six- or eight-inch line on the east side and public works employees at the meeting said it’s a plastic line.

They also said lines aren’t always where you think they should be, or if what you were told about the size of the line is correct.

“Doesn’t that $6,000 locater the town bought recognize a plastic line?” asked Meek.

“If there is no wind and no noise,” said one of the workers.

“It worked when the salesman demonstrated it,” said Meek.

Tillman suggested they get the salesman back to demonstrate it on the water line in question.

Ivan Cabral was at the meeting because he’d asked the board in November if they’d provide an eight-inch line on the west side of U.S. 81. He owns 25 acres in that area and said he wants to put in a dance studio and event center there.

$12,600 for grading, sod A $4,500 quote to grade around the new pool and north of the pool for drainage and $8,100 to install 27,000 square feet of sod at the pool were accepted by the board.

The work will be done by David Fuksa at Grade Work Construction, Hennessey. In addition to helping the drainage, this will also keep dirt from blowing into the pool, said Tillman.

Other business

After an executive session to discuss a salary increase for Kyle Watkins, the board raised his pay to $11 an hour.

Members routinely accepted the resignation of David Fuksa, a reserve police officer, due to time constraints at his job and with his family.

They also approved a $9,450 contract with Arledge and Associates, Edmond, for the fiscal year 2019-20 audit.

Tillman said the audit cost is about $400 more than last year, and Arledge had done the audit since she came on staff 15 1/2 years ago.