News

Council holds monthly meeting for September

By Scott Wagar

09/11/2012

The primary focus of the September city council meeting in Bottineau included the 2011 Street Paving Project, the Preserve Development and Gateway Fund requests.

STREET PROJECT:

Matt Johnson of Wold Engineering stated that the 2011 street paving project is still unfinished due to the fact Mayo Construction has not completed the concrete work to the project, which was contracted out by Mayo to a local firm. Johnson added that a portion of the money for concrete work has not been paid to Mayo because of the unfinished project.

Councilman Tim Sanderson questions as to why the work had not been concluded and if the contract between the city and Mayo had penalties within the document for Mayo not completing the work one year over the project’s completion date.

Johnson stated that he did not have an answer from Mayo as to why they have not completed the concrete work, and that penalties are written into contract, but he did not know the legal actions over this specific item.

The council then asked city attorney Swain Benson III to research the contract regarding penalties, which Benson agreed he would do and report back to the council on this issue.

FOG COAT:

Johnson also stated that there was a delay in a fog coating treatment with the seal coal project, due to delays by ASTECH, a company out of St. Cloud, Minn., who did the seal coal treatment for Bottineau’s street project. Fog coating is a fine mist of oil which is applied over a seal coat project within a short period of time after the seal coating, to provide an extra seal of protection over the chip rock that is applied on asphalt after a street paving project.

Johnson said that with such a long delay in the fog coating, the treatment would no longer assist in the seal coat process, because the chip rocks which would have come loose after the seal coat project would have happened by this time. He added, too, that the seal coat treatment is in good condition.

With the seal project in proper order, and the fog coating being insufficient at the present date, Johnson stated that if the city didn’t make a request for ASTECH to conduct the fog coat, the city would save $26,000. The council voted in favor of not having the fog coat treatment carried out.

THE PRESERVE:

Bids were open for the sewer lift that will be installed for the Preserve Development. Two bids were received for the project, with the city’s estimate for the project at $133,820. Kemper Construction made a bid of $239,500 while Manitou Construction bid $181,920.

Although the two bids were over cost, the developer of the project, Roger Riley, stated that he would pay any cost over the estimate. Sanderson made the motion not to accept the low bid from Manitou until the city received a written agreement from Riley stating that he would cover the cost over the city’s $133,820 estimate. The council agreed with Sanderson and voted in favor of his motion.

GATEWAY LOANS:
 
Diane Olson, the director of the Bottineau EDC office, made two Gateway Loan requests to the council. The first request was for Riley, who is asking for $60,000 at three percent interest for six years to assist with the development cost for the Preserve Development. The loan he  requested will be secured with lots in the addition. The council voted in favor of Olson’s $60,000 request for Riley.

The second request was for Janet Carnaham of Simple Threads for $6,500 at three percent interest for five years to purchase the building they are currently in, which has recently been placed on the market. The aldermen voted unanimously to grant Carnaham and Dolbeare the $6,500.

The October city council meeting will take place on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the City Armory.