Smyrna Council awards nearly $670,000 in construction bids
Smyrna Town Council voted unanimously to award construction bids for three major projects at the September 2 council meeting.
The largest bid, awarded to J.W. Walker and Sons for $427,569, is part of the construction work for the new Public Works building planned for the Smyrna Business Park off of Route 300. This construction includes foundation work and plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning for the maintenance and mechanical buildings.
Council also awarded a $164,054 bid to JJID, Inc. for the replacement of a sewer line that crosses Mill Creek along the east side of Route 13 near Lake Como.
The third project is phase II of the downtown electric improvements. Council awarded a $77,200 bid to Area Utilities for this portion of the downtown electric project. The phase II improvements will take place on the east side of Main Street.
Council accepts 2007 audit report
During the meeting, council voted 6-1 to accept the town’s financial statements and audit report prepared by Barbacane, Thornton & Company.
Councilman Bill Raynor voted against it and said he hadn’t had a chance to look at it first.
According to the new, 52-page audit report, the Town of Smyrna appears to have solved a problem noted in the 2006 audit – that the town’s general ledger accounts were not reconciled to subsidiary ledgers and supporting documents.
At the end of the new audit, the auditor notes that the town has implemented a new accounting and utility billing system, and that the town has had this system in place for a full year since the previous audit.
“Our assessment of the new system has determined that it does allow management to reconcile the general ledger accurately and in a timely manner,” the audit reads.
Council votes not to send mayor to League of Cities conference
During the meeting, Mayor Pat Stombaugh requested that council send her to the 2008 National League of Cities Conference in Orlando this November.
“I struggled asking for this, but I’d like to go,” said Stombaugh, who said her high estimate for the cost of the trip was $2,500.
Stombaugh said she learned a lot at a previous conference in New Orleans and brought a lot back to the town.
“If we want to bring things to our town, we have to leave our town to make it happen,” she said.
But council didn’t support the idea.
“It’s very confusing for the mayor to come before council asking for money to go on a trip,” responded Councilman Gene Mullen. “At this point, I don’t see us spending the money.”
Mullen said these conferences can be educational, but added that they can also be a “big party.”
Councilman Larry Thornton also said that these conferences can be beneficial, but said that he couldn’t endorse the trip at this juncture.
Council voted 6-0 against sending Mayor Stombaugh to the conference. Stombaugh abstained.
Putnam Group requests breaks for redevelopment project
During the meeting, Dominic Balascio of The Putnam Group asked council if certain fees could be reduced or waived for a redevelopment project on Glenwood Avenue.
He said Putnam has purchased the site that was once occupied by Bulldozers Saloon and plans are in place to build a new daycare there.
Councilman Pressley said he was glad Putnam approached council with this request before the daycare was built, and not afterwards.
Library technician salary approved
Council voted 6-1 to set the salary for the town’s “library technician” position at $11.50 per hour. Mayor Pat Stombaugh voted against it.
The library technician is not a new position, but the reclassification of an existing employee who was previously listed as a library clerk.
The salary for a library clerk is about $9.50.
Council sets annexation election
At a public hearing prior to the regular council meeting, the owner of the property at 50 Myrtle Street requested annexation into Smyrna to receive town services.
Council voted 6-1 to set the annexation election for this property at 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on September 25. Valerie White voted against it. Mayor Stombaugh said she voted in favor of the annexation election because it’s an existing property on the edge of town.
News briefs compiled by Seth Clevenger, staff writer
