GUNNISON – Gunnison City Council met on Thursday, Nov. 17 with Ensign Engineering’s Kelly Chappell and Tyson Jukes to discuss and plan upcoming Utah Community Impact Board (CIB) road projects.
They are close to making their final decisions on where they want to spend the $2.3 million total project budget they have for road repairs and drainage.
Mayor Nay said they have been saving money for a while now for some big road projects and are close to making things final with the engineers.
The council decided to scratch curb and gutter on Cemetery Road but still do some road repairs there. They also plan to do work on 200 East as well as 4th West, which will include storm drains and road repairs.
The engineers see some problems on the west side that need attention—they want to put in storm drains where needed, but they also want it to be ready for future growth. Due to the cost of pipe, they will look at reinforced concrete pipes that cost less and last longer.
The council has one chance, and they want to do this right and get proper drainage. If not, it will be like “putting lipstick on a pig,” said Councilman Robert Anderson.
The council also wants to get asphalt where citizens have already paid to have it. They will be looking at a plan that was done in 2007 by Jones & DeMill and then make future plans from that. The council plans to meet again in December and finalize things to get ready for a bid, then move forward in the new year.
Next on the agenda, City Recorder Steven Jenson discussed a new website for the city. He said that the current website is not secure, is outdated and is not user friendly. Jenson showed the council what other cities with about the same population are using that would address those issues.
The cost for installing the website would be about $7,500 for the first year, then about $4,800 annually after that. The council agreed they need a secure website to protect online payments, and they asked Jenson to investigate a few more companies to compare costs and to bring the figures back to next month’s meeting.
Discussion about possible approval for adjustment to water leak coverage was also had. If a citizen has an unknown water leak, the council discussed if the city office could adjust the bill for 50% of the over run after the leak was found and fixed—instead of having to go before the board—as long as it is proven that it was an unknown accident. The motion was passed.
Next was a discussion of the Six Counties AOG helping the city apply for a grant for upgrades to the Industrial Park. They need an engineering firm to give the city a pre-cost analysis for the project. It’s probably going to cost $3 to $4 million, and the Economic Development Association (EDA) comes up with a 70/30 split for the cost, with 30% being a match and 70% being funded by the EDA. Mayor Nay is hoping to get a state grant, which could be that 30% match.
Now the city needs to find a firm to give them the required pre-cost analysis. If the city gets this grant, it would pay to bring in water lines, sewer lines, and all the infrastructure to the Industrial Park. What the city would be allowed to bid for will determine the plan, but they would start with 20 acres and grow to 40 and so on, with the intent of having it be ready for growth.
