It took two votes, but members of the Trenton City Council on Monday night approved a contract for use of the south portion of the large hangar at the Trenton Airport previously occupied by LifeFlight.
On a vote of 6-2, the council overrode a previous veto by Mayor Dr. Nick McHargue and accepted a contract with Danny Stevens of Trenton to house an airplane and the office for his business at the hangar site. Stevens will pay $325 per month with a lease agreement between one or five years, pending on negotiations with the city on the length.
Stevens’ proposal was one of three considered by the council, which also considered proposals from Clay Anderson (Anderson Aviation Services) of rural Chillicothe, who planned to operate an airplane repair service at the site, and David Tolen. Anderson offered $300 per month for the hangar while Tolen’s proposal was for $250 per month. Airport Manager Donnie Vandevender reported that all three proposals met the FAA minimum requirement of the building being used for an aviation-related enterprise.
It was the Airport Advisory Board’s recommendation to accept the Anderson proposal, with chairman Dyle Wilson stating the board wanted to see an aviation business that would benefit the city locate in that space. He said there would be plenty of mechanical work for that business from airplanes in this area, adding that there are no such businesses located close.
During that conversation, council member Jennifer Hottes-Urich noted she was an appointed member of the advisory board, but had not been informed about the meeting during which the proposals were discussed.
Many councilmen stated they felt the rent price was too low and North Central Missouri Development Alliance Director Micah Landes said she had been directed by the city to market the space for $1,500 per month, which is what LifeFlight had been paying. She said had she known the city would take less, an aviation-related business with which she had been working might have located in that space.
Although he was concerned about the low rental price, Councilman Glen Briggs made the motion to accept Stevens’ proposal. The vote was 6-2, with Briggs, Larry Porter, Brad Chumbley, Travis Elbert, David Mlika and Mrs. Hottes-Urich voting yes. William Fisher and Larry Crawford were opposed. After the mayor’s veto, the vote to override was again 6-2, with the votes being the same.
Mrs. Landes informed the council that representatives from the city, school district, local business owners and the Green Hills Regional Planning Commission met with an engineer from the Missouri Department of Transportation concerning the entrance into the new Dollar General store on Highway 6 in the west part of Trenton. She said the engineer asked that the group put its concerns in writing so that he can forward hem to MoDOT officials for consideration. She said the group was concerned about having only the one entrance into the business from Highway 6, adding that it was suggested that a pedestrian/bicycle entrance off Fourth Street at the back of the property be considered. Placing no parking signs in the area as well as a possible turn lane were also discussed.
The council approved two ordinances related to the 17th Street Bridge replacement project, including purchase of property owned by Gloria Coffman for a cost of $38,000 and purchase of property owned by Rick Hull, as successor trustee of the James M. McCarty Trust Agreement, for $75,000. Both structures are to be torn down. The Coffman vote was 8-0 while the Hull vote was 7-1 with Chumbley voting no.
Ordinances approved on an 8-0 vote include an agreement with Advanced Environmental Testing and Abatement Inc. for asbestos abatement for properties at 111 W. 11th St. and 1502 Day St.; an agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for airport improvements; an agreement with Olsson Associates for engineering consulting work on the airport project; and an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation for a street light at the intersection of Iowa Boulevard and Highway 6 in east Trenton.
Bids were approved from Independent Electric for breaker and relay testing equipment, $10,375; Mark Pettit for purchase of scrap metal, 16 cents/pound for Lot 1 and $74/ton for Lot 2; American Fire Training for a fire training tower, $722,860; Telum of West Des Moines, IA for lime sludge removal, $43.28 per ton for up to 1,500 tons, then $41.50 per ton for 1,501 to 2,000 tons and $41.50 per ton over 2,000 tons; and Lamma Excavating for purchase of scrap of the old asphalt plant, $32.50 per ton. Having received no bids for window replacement at the fire station, the council agreed to allow Fire Chief Brandon Gibler to purchase the windows and find a contractor who will do the work, with the project staying within the $6,500 already budgeted.
The council approved cash reserve policies for the electric, water and wastewater departments, setting minimum and maximum requirements based on yearly income and expenses. Also approved was allowing Chelsea’s Market to use the city’s discounted rate incentive program, receiving a reduced rate for electric usage through February 2021. Both items were discussed at last week’s meeting of the Utility Committee, which recommended approval by the council.
With Monday, Nov. 12 being a holiday and city offices being closed, the council decided to hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13 to consider bids and conduct the six-month budget review. The council does not normally meet on the second Monday of November due to the Veterans Day holiday.
In other business:
• Police Chief Rex Ross announced that Trenton Police Officer Matt Preston has been promoted to sergeant, following action taken by the Police Personnel Board.
• City Administrator Ron Urton announced two requests for qualification proposals have been received for the electric rate study, with the Utility Committee to review the requests at their November meeting. He also reported that around 800-feet of fencing is to be placed at the city trap and skeet range by the Missouri Department of Conservation to prevent persons from walking through the area when shooting events are taking place.
• Street Supervisor Martin Scheib reported that asphalt sales for the year were down slightly from a year ago, which had been expected due to other asphalt sources being available for contractors. As of Oct. 17, 12,639 tons were sold as compared to 16,384 tons a year ago.
An executive session was held for a personnel matter, with no announcement being made.
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