A $145,000 bid to replace 1 1/4-inch and 2-inch water lines with six-inch lines on Bonita and Cimarron streets was approved by the Hennessey Board of Trustees last Thursday.

The winning bidder is REI Holdings, LLC, dba Pinnacle Underground, Oklahoma City.

There were seven other bidders, according to the Cowan Group Engineering’s recommendation that Pinnacle be awarded the bid.

The town received a $65,000 REAP grant in December to help pay costs.

The bid was $15,000 over budget, Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman told the board.

She recommended the bid be accepted because those small lines “continue to pop up leaks about every couple of months.”

Those lines start at 6th and Bonita streets and run to the alley and through the 7th Street alley.

The replacement also includes lines along Cimarron Street from 5th to 7th streets.

All members were present for the August 12 meeting: Mayor Bert Gritz, Vice Mayor Clif Vogt and Trustees Keith Meek, Richard Simunek and Harold Shaw

Construction ordinance approved on third vote

It was a 3-2 vote to approve the new construction and building ordinance after a July 8 vote to approve failed 2-3 and a July 29 special meeting vote ended in a 2-2 stalemate.

A few local developers and builders have complained at meetings due to stiffer requirements and lack of an on-site building inspector.

The complete ordinance appears on the town’s website.

Voting in favor last week were Gritz, Vogt and Simunek. Against it were Meek and Shaw.

Shaw voted no all three times, Simunek voted no two times, as did Meek, who was absent at the special meeting.

Local builder Jay Ladwig and developer Scott Hajek, and his wife, Karel, were again in the audience about that ordinance, along with a new permit fee schedule.

Permit fee schedule tabled

Tillman presented a new, and increased, fee schedule for building permits, trade licenses and inspection fees.

Current fee costs weren’t listed on the proposed fourpage permit schedule, but Ladwig commented on the increased costs.

He said a building permit that would cost $12,000 under the current pay schedule would be $19,000 under the proposed schedule.

“What kind of a message are we sending out?” asked Meek. “Don’t we want them to come to our town?”

Ladwig said some towns, including Waukomis, waive building permit fees because they want builders to come there.

“We are not under their rules,” said Gritz, “Waukomis uses the state fire marshal’s office for their inspections.”

Meek said he’d like more time to look over the schedule, others said they wanted more time also and members agreed to table it.

Gritz asked Tillman to look into other communities that waive permit fees.

Sewer line problem

Tillman said there is 1,200 feet of sewer line in poor shape and needs to be replaced, so she will work on a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help fund it.

She said the town is also getting a price from the Oklahoma Rural Water Association to get costs to examine lines during rains to see exactly where the problems are located.

Administrator spending limit is raised

An ordinance was amended in a 4-1 vote to eliminate the public works director position and to increase Tillman’s “emergency, or urgent need to purchase or contract for goods, services, or capital” from $5,000 to $25,000.

Shaw cast the only no vote.

Personnel

The board accepted the resignation of Brian Henderson, water operator, in open session, then hired Brent Bruner as a full-time police department dispatcher after a brief executive session.

Other business

The board approved an interlocal agreement with the school to provide a school resource officer again this year and routinely approved renewal of workers compensation insurance with OMAG.

In addition to Tillman, other staff at the meeting were Kati Walters, minutes clerk and town clerk; Shelley Burch, town treasurer; Police Chief Ed Cangiano, and Officer Matt Bruner.