Eureka City Fire Chief Luke Westerman attended the Eureka City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 22 and announced that the department had been awarded funding through the Tim Underwood Memorial.
Westerman reported that they had applied for funding to replace pagers for the firefighters. He explained that pagers are the primary notice system used to call out firefighters through a page sent out by dispatch. Westerman noted that they utilize a phone application as a backup and added that this is not as reliable due to service issues.
As he noted that department pagers had begun to fail, Westerman told members of the council that they would likely donate old units that can still be utilized to Greenwood County Fire.
A total of $15,000 was awarded. Plans are for the purchase of 30 pagers, six radios and one amplifier charger with awarded funds. Westerman told city council members that City Fire currently has 30 firemen and all are currently contributing. He also reported that bids for a rescue truck are still being awaited as only one had been received as of last Monday. Once bids are received, the previously established committee will convene. As discussion concluded, the purchase of pagers with grant funding was approved.
Public hearings pertaining to various properties in violation of city codes were held during the course of last Monday’s regular meeting. Three of the five resolutions referenced property that needed to be painted. Property owners of 603 E. 3rd (Resolution 24-02), 410 N. Mulberry (Resolution 24-03) and 431 W. 3rd (Resolution 24-05) all expressed that they would be painting or removing the property when weather allowed. The council afforded until April 1 for action to be taken at the three properties. All three were told to contact the city if additional time was needed. Regarding Resolution 24-01, involving the structure of property at 601 N. Greenwood, it was shared that the family of the owner felt the property was beyond repair and should be sold at tax sale or a neighboring property owner. The council approved Resolution 24-1. During the public hearing for Resolution 2404, regarding property at 609 E. 7th, the city council approved to afford property owners until February 22 to replace missing metal siding or remove the structure.
In committee reports, council member Cinda Beals discussed recent attendance of the Myreka meeting where Main Street buildings were a topic of discussion. Beals shared that issues noted among discussion were leaky roofs and windows. She added that structurally, a lot of the buildings share an adjoining wall. In conjunction with this, Code Enforcement Officer Steve French discussed work being done towards code enforcement efforts on Main Street. French reported that plans for sending up a drone to take footage of roof conditions were in the works. Preventing loss of downtown structures was noted as a priority as they discussed motivating building owners to perform needed work.
Ordinance 43-29, establishing a rate for use of city barricades around a structure, was proposed last Monday night. French presented the requested proposal, noting that the concept had originated during the Myreka meeting; the intent of this being to encourage needed work/hazards to be addressed. If approved as presented, the ordinance would establish a $7 per barricade fee for use around structures in disrepair.
Councilman Dan Campbell briefly referenced an investment property he is affiliated with, noting that the cost of such a charge could quickly add up, particularly in the event multiple barricades are needed. Councilman Jeff Marks later explained that the hope was to spur conversation. Mayor Stephen Coulter added that he believed this would provide financial incentive towards progress and removal of safety hazards. As this was noted, Councilman Jason Brandt provided an example, sharing that a building in Lyons had recently collapsed and is now a single-story building. Brandt went on to share that barricades had already been removed, the property had been cleaned up and the hazard was gone. He went on to note that within two months during winter this had been addressed and added that the fact the building has tenants may have facilitated this being completed promptly.
As discussion unfolded, City Attorney James Watson noted an alternative: If building owners don’t remedy violations, the city could, through the court process, begin charging.
During commentary about the historical buildings on Main Street, it was commented that at least one in each block is a serious concern. Conversation in regards to adding value/use to structures then ensued. Included in discussion was the concept of upper-level housing. Also discussed was revitalization of Memorial Hall. Coulter noted that part of the goal with investment in the restoration of Memorial Hall is hosting events that attract people to the area. He noted the potential of the structure and a goal for making it a downtown destination. As they returned to the subject of second-story housing, it was noted that there are grants that may aid with this and could provide incentive to more quickly get needed roofs addressed. French commented that he had called Emporia to see what they had done to bring back their Main Street and second-story housing was one of the key things done. As discussion drew to a close, the subject of adding a charge for barricades was tabled.
Community Enrichment Manager Staci Crumrine discussed pending projects and plans as well as a couple of additional items.
Crumrine told members of the council that she was proceeding with a grant application for the Eureka Downs roof and noted plans for painting the facility in the future.
The Community Enrichment Manager was tasked with monitoring/updating the city website. Crumrine shared that currently she has to submit changes to the website provider and they have to make the updates. She then voiced interest to members of the council in being able to make those updates in-house. No opposition was voiced to Crumrine reaching out for city staff access.
City staff members are looking to improve scheduling for venues. Crumrine noted challenges and complications faced with multiple offices scheduling reservations.
Revenue received from the Eureka Downs building was discussed. Councilman Campbell noted that in the roughly six months last year that the facility was available for reservation, the city had received $5,000 in rent. After Campbell noted that this was trending well, Crumrine discussed future marketing of the space. She told members of the council that part of the struggle has been awareness. Crumrine then explained that people were unaware that the upstairs of the facility is also available for reservations as well as the Braden Room. The entire facility can also be reserved. Crumrine shared that she is on call during events held in the space, so if an issue arises/ there is a need in relation to the facility, she can provide aid in addressing it.
As discussion concluded, Crumrine requested that she be afforded to take figures to Greenwood County Commissioners to discuss monetary support towards utilities, as was previously done for the Matt Samuels building.
Eureka Days & Party In The Park
Community member Steve Brown was present Monday evening to discuss the 2024 Eureka Days event. Brown received approval for closure of portions of Main Street from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on June 1. Main Street will be barricaded from 7th to 1st Streets for the parade and from 1st to 3rd Streets for the remainder of the event.
Scheduling a date for the 2024 Party in the Park/4th of July celebration was briefly discussed. Potential dates for this year’s celebration included Saturday, July 6, Wednesday, July 3 and Saturday, June 29. Brown will be gathering bids and will revisit the subject at a later date.
Regular Business
The Franchise Agreement, Ordinance 43-28, with Ideatek was approved. This item was presented by a representative during the previous council meeting and tabled for further review.
Members of the council approved the consent agenda. This included the following items: minutes of the Jan. 8 meeting, minutes of the Jan. 17 meeting and the scheduled claims list for expenses due through Jan. 17 for the amount of $86,304.41.
An executive session for discussion of non-elected personnel was held for 20 minutes with the council and Burk remaining. Following the session, no action was taken. An additional 10-minutes were taken for the same subject, with the same individuals remaining. No decisions were made following the session The annual GAAP Resolution 24-06 was approved.
The next regular meeting of the Eureka City Council will be held on Monday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Applicant Interview
Before their regular bi-monthly meeting, Eureka City officials convened for a special meeting on Monday, Jan. 22 to afford for an applicant interview for the City Administrator position.
Following the call to order, members of the council held an executive session for 30-minutes with Burk and applicant Emily Townsend.
Shortly after returning to regular session, the meeting was adjourned.
