It could cost up to $500,000 to replace one of the two filtration skids at Hennessey’s 18-year-old water plant.

That’s what town board members were told last Thursday night and they’ll get the exact cost in early June when the bids come in.

“The skid isn’t stable,” Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman told the board,“and it’s about to fall over.”

“Overall the second unit is good, but if the other one goes out, then we’ll have to run well water in town because we won’t be able to keep up,” said Brian Henderson, the plant’s water operator.

“The floor under it is collapsing,” he said adding that the work should be done before the heavy water use in the summer due to the town’s pool and splash pad at the water park.

“That shouldn’t be a problem because the nitrates in the water are down,” said a board member.

“No, they’re at maximum right now,” said Henderson.

The board voted unanimously to go out for bids and set June 2 as a special meeting date, but also noted an emergency meeting could be held if necessary.

Tillman said the town has $224,000 in reserves and $88,000 left from the loan on the north lift station.

The water plant is located three miles south of town. The town broke ground on the project in May 2002, but it didn’t go online until July 2003.

It cost $1.4 million and was built because the town had been under a DEQ consent order since 1993 due to high nitrates.

At the Meeting All board members were present at the May meeting: Mayor Bert Gritz, Vice Mayor Clif Vogt, Keith Meek, Richard Simunek

At the Meeting and new board member, Harold Shaw, who was given the oath of office that night for a four-year term.

Meek was also given the oath to start his second four-year term.

Also at the meeting were Clerk Kati Walters, Treasurer Shelley Burch, Street Superintendent Kyle Watkins, Tillman and Henderson.

Walters had been appointed clerk in August, then elected this year, and Burch was also elected for her first term this year.

Both Walters and Burch have four-year terms and will also continue as town employees.

In the audience were Hajek and two Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group officials (Bill Tackett and David Weatherford) who staged a one-hour training program for board members at the end of their two-hour meeting.

Sewer Lagoon Woes Continue

Tillman said DEQ “prefers” the town install a discharge line at the sewer lagoons on the west side of town.

“We need to start the permit process,” she said.

“I think we need to do it,” said Gritz. “We’ve kind of gotten in a bind.”

Tillman suggested they contact the engineer, Michael Taylor with Cowan Group Engineering.

Shaw said they could use another engineer if they wanted.

Tillman said Taylor worked on previous projects and is familiar with the town.

The sewer lines were full of rain water in March and the town was unable to irrigate sewage water properly, but DEQ gave the town a temporary discharge order so it could get the lagoons at a manageable level.

Smoke tests last month in the lines showed “problem areas,” Tillman told the board.

Some of the old lines were never capped and they found manholes they didn’t know existed, she said.

The Oklahoma Rural Water Association worked with the town for several days and identified some broken lines.

Tillman said Bryan Burch, the town’s sewer superintendent, is making a list with cost estimates for the new budget.

Why me? asks Hajek

Scott Hajek, a local businessman and developer in the audience, said he’d just been told by a surveyor that he has to have 4-foot ADA-compliant sidewalks along each side of the street.

He said that was after he’d spent five years getting his plat approved, zoning changed and the town recently getting sewer service to his property.

He’d asked the surveyor when that rule was passed and was told, “Its always been that way.”

“Then why didn’t two others (developers) have theirs built to code?” he asked the board.

“It’s gonna take me about $100,000 extra, and I don’t mind it just as long as everyone else has to do it,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s a town thing, I think it’s a federal regulation,” said Gritz.

Tillman said when Hajek’s plat was approved, it wasn’t necessary for him to show how he planned to use the property and she is working to get more information for him and the board.

Hajek’s 25.76 acres in question are located north of State Highway 51 and east of U.S. Highway 81 and are north and east of the Dollar General Store.

The land had been used for agriculture, was zoned estate residential district and rezoned last year to highway commercial.

Higher Garbage Rates

Tillman said the contract with Waste Connections is up June 30 and the company wants to negotiate the current contract.

“Our current charge to residential customers (inside the town limits) is $15.45 a month,” said Tillman.

That’s with one polycart and pickups twice a week and the company wants to go to once-a-week pickups and once-a-month bulk pickups, she said.

In her written report to the board, Tillman said she will ask for a 3-5% increase in water and sewer rates.

Board members agreed that citizens have been vocal that they want to keep twice-a-week service instead of adding a second polycart.

“Families in my neighborhood usually have theirs filled on each pickup day,” said Simunek.

“Sometimes I forget to take it out, but we have two trash cans so that helps,” said Meek.

“The service has been wonderful,” said Gritz.

Tillman said she rarely has a complaint from a customer and also bragged about the service.

Gritz said maybe they should take bids, which is what they decided to do, but not before Meek said, “But what if we get a lower bid, but crappy service?”

Representatives from Waste Connections and Veteran Waste Solutions were at the meeting.

On Monday, the board cheduled a special meeting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to possibly rescind its motion to go out for bids for solid waste services.Options include allowing the town administrator and mayor to negotiate portions of the current contract with Waste Connections and appoint a deputy clerk.

Hennessey Park Playground The board approved the purchase of $14,150 in playground equipment from SCS Playground Adventures for Pat Hennessey Park located on North Arapaho Street south of S.H. 51.

The town will match donations of $5,000 from a Mid Continent grant recommended by Meek and $4,000 from Hennessey United’s Leadership 2019 Senior Class and Enel Green Power Energy.

Members also approved painting the current swing set and merry-go-round plus fresh dirt and a new park marker that can be seen from the park.

[Note: Although Patrick Hennessey’s signature on enlistment papers in The Union appear not to have spelled his last name, Hennessy (no last “E”), that may have been incorrect. Former Hennessey Library Director Mary Haney wrote that those who used the extra “E” were protestants and those without the “E” were Catholics. “Pat was a Catholic,” she wrote.]

Board Appointments

Rachel (Meloy) Rogers was appointed to the Planning Board upon recommendation by Tillman who said she asked Rogers if she was interested since she had wanted to run for the town board and has experience in real estate.

Rogers had filed for the town board this year, but had not moved her voter registration to Hennessey, so could not be considered for that position.

The board also voted to set terms for planning members: Rogers, four years; Dustin Munroe and Dustin Vinson, two years, and Richard Hedrick and Gary Stinebring, one year.

Rogers replaces Richard Simunek on that board. He’d resigned two years ago after being elected to the town board.

Reappointed to the Public Library Board were Karla VanGee and Leonor Ortega.

Personnel

The board had an executive session to discuss hiring another lifeguard and hiring or appointing a building inspector.

Members hired Hunter Hubbard at $8 an hour as a lifeguard. There was no agenda item for action on a building inspector and no action was taken.

They also approved hourly raises for Henderson, $14, and Watkins, $13.

In her written report to the board about the upcoming budget, Tillman said she wants to find money to give raises to the staff.

Other Business • A quote of $5,620.21 from Rainbow Fireworks of Inman, Kan., was approved. Tillman said this is the third year for the town to be in charge of the fireworks (instead of the Lions Club). This year’s cost is less than in the past because they purchased equipment earlier. The cost will be paid from hotel/motel taxes.

• Swimming pool is booked for daytime parties through June. “We only have a few late-night Saturday party times available in June and only a few weeknights and Saturday late nights available left in July,” said Tillman. She said they have booked a few morning parties for Kingfisher summer school and Enid YMCA.

• Board members were given a first look at the budget for the new year which will be presented next month.