Good afternoon, everyone. Please see below for this week’s update.
Key Meetings
-On Monday, Mayor Seibert and I attended the monthly JACC board of director’s meeting to represent the city and give an update on various city happenings, including the sales tax question that you will consider during Monday night’s regular council meeting.
-On Tuesday, I met with employees at the garage to talk about the pay plan information I provided to you and to employees last week. Next week I’ll be meeting with public works employees as well as police employees to answer questions about the information provided.
-On Wednesday, AtCM Brian Kelly and I met with representatives from the CTS Group to go over a report they provided to us regarding the energy usage at Memorial Hall. I will be sharing that information with our parks and public works departments in the near future, merely for informational purposes at this point.
-Later that evening, I attended the annual police awards banquet at the Elk’s Lodge. It’s always humbling to hear the details about the behind-the-scenes efforts our officers undergo on a daily basis to keep our community safe, and it’s an event I look forward to attending every year.
-On Thursday, I participated in a conference call to discuss the upcoming Disaster Relief Summit being held on the campus of Missouri Southern. I’ll be moderating a panel discussion about the volunteer effort and the opportunities and challenges communities face when large amounts of volunteers come to help a community in need. As of yesterday, over 200 officials representing all three levels of government and 23 states have registered for the conference, which is impressive for being the first conference of its kind. I’d like to commend Jane Cage, Nicole Brown with MSSU, and city staff (too many to name) who are already assisting with preparations for the events that are planned, in addition to performing their regular duties.
-Earlier today, I attended the walkthrough at Joe Becker Stadium with city staff and representatives from the Blasters. Pictures and aerial footage of the facility were taken yesterday to document the condition as we prepare to turn over the keys to the Blasters on May 1st, but both our athletic field maintenance crew, led by Greg Bertoncino, Kevin Tackett and Josh Simmons, and our parks maintenance crew, have done a tremendous job preparing the field and grounds for the transition. Measurements for the infield padding have been taken, which should be installed prior to their first game, and we’ll address a few other minor items next week, but I expect the transition to go smoothly.
-This afternoon I went over to the Joplin Aquatic Center to meet with parks staff and representatives from the School of Construction at Pitt State to get a preview of the new sunbathing area at Schifferdecker Pool. KSN/KODE was on-scene to take some footage and interview the team responsible for the project, but it will be an exciting addition to the complex this summer. Steve Curry, Jake Cowan, Aaron Callis, Jereme Glenn, Josh Pierson, and Adam Forrest helped with the installation and also the construction of an ADA-accessible ramp for the structure.
Miscellaneous
-I have a few updates from Public Works to pass along: o The 2016 TIGER grant application for projects along 32nd Street has been submitted to the Federal Highway Department o The remaining portion of the 2015 micro-surfacing contract will begin on Monday, May 2nd o The contractor for the Zora widening project (Main to Range Line) has started up again o The second new filter at the Turkey Creek WWTP went on-line earlier this week, which will significantly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the waste water treatment process.
To give you an update on another finding in the state audit, this week finance issued 31 refunds pertaining to demolitions of foundations or structures that were collected in addition to being reimbursed under the state CDBG program. Finance has also written off any outstanding tax bills that were covered by the grant, so this matter has been resolved.
-Last week the Joplin Health Nuts’ Lose Some, Win Some program concluded. 61 employees and family members participated in the challenge, losing a combined 5.3% of their total weight. I’d like to commend everyone who participated in the challenge, and it demonstrates just one way our employees are working to keep our health care costs down. Since relocating the fitness equipment to city hall, we’ve seen an increase in the usage of that equipment as well.
-Finally, I will be out of the office next Wednesday-Friday attending the MCMA conference, but I will be available by phone/email while I’m out. If you have any questions about any of these items, please let me know. Otherwise, I hope you have a great weekend
No comments:
Post a Comment