MIN CC 12/01/1987 Emergency Session, Book O, pg. 975MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 1, 1987 COUNCIL MEETING BOOK "0" 975
MINUTES OF AN EMERGENCY HUNTSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THE 1ST DAY OF DECEMBER, 1987 IN THE CITY HALL
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LOCATED AT 1212 AVENUE M IN THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, COUNTY OF WALKER, TEXAS AT 12:15 P.M.
The Council met in an emergency session
Jane Monday, Mayor Members absent:
Eugene Barrett
Gary Bell
Ila G. Gaines
Percy Howard, Jr.
with the following members
James L. Carter
William B. Green
William L. Hammock
William H. Knotts, Jr.
present:
City Officers present:
Gene Pipes, City Manager
Scott Bounds, City Attorney
Ruth DeShaw, City Secretary
FORMAL SESSION
Mayor Monday then called this emergency meeting to order.
Consider award of bid for repairs to the City's Service Center Warehouse.
Mr. Gene Pipes, City Manager, advised the two bids opened this morning totaled $119,485 from Commercial
Siding and Maintenance Company of Houston, and $93,200 from. Grisham Construction Company of Huntsville, both
substantially higher than the insurance appraiser's estimate of last week. He said these bids are based on a
pecifications book and set of plans as prepared by the structural engineer, Mr. Larry Lassiter, hired by the city
for this purpose, which are his estimation of what will be required to restore the building both structurally and
operationally, with steel support members and skin, both outside and in, sheetrock, lighting fixtures, all
electrical repairs, bid as separate items. Mr. Lassiter's estimate for this work was $100,000. Mr. Pipes said the
City was estimating the damage to be between $20,000 and $50,000. He noted the emergency nature of this item is
that the order for supplies to make these repairs will require approximately 16 weeks, (about six weeks on
delivery of the materials and seven weeks to make repairs).
Mr. Pipes indicated the insurance company adjuster has not had timee since the 10:00 A.M. bid opening today,
to analyze the bids, and since the insurance adjustor's estimate was $37,000, he is currently not in a position to
authorize and approve the $93,200 bid. Therefore, he said, the Council is being asked to approve the low bid
subject to insurance company approval. He said the City has a $2,500 deductible, which has been met, so the
payment of this bill is up to the insurance company. He then recommended the City Council consider approving anc
awarding the bid to the apparent low bidder, which is Grisham Construction Company of Huntsville, in the amount of
$93,200, subject to insurance company authorization of the amount.
Councilmember Barrett then made the motion to award the bid to Grisham Construction Company of Huntsville in
the amount of $93,200 subject to insurance company approval of this bid and Councilmember Howard seconded the
motion. Discussion: Councilmember Bell asked if we could get a better bid if it was circulated more widely. Mr.
P pe 'said it will take more time and he didn't think the city would fare any better, partly because of the way
the bid was structured, i.e., replacement of pieces that may need to be replaced, but we won't know whether they
need to be or not until we take it all apart and find out. He said he didn't feel there is any room for
negotiation here, because the contractor is going to protect himself while at the same time not leave any excess
on the table. Mr. Pipes said the City originally asked the insurance company to handle the project so the city
would not have to bid as it would then be a negotiated settlement on the part of the insurance company with e
contractor to put the building back like it was. However, he said, the insurance company did not want to do that,
so the city had to put out a specification book and do a set of plans. Councilmember Bell was concerned that the
city may get stuck with this bill. Mr. Pipes assured him the city would not and that is why he asked that the bic
include the term "subject to insurance company approval," because the Council cannot authorize a $100,000 worth of
work and then go argue with the insurance company. He said the City now has a temporary roof on the buildinc
which is somewhat weather tight and temporary electrical service has been restored so that the city can operate
temporarily. All were in favor of the motion on the floor and it passed unanimously.
Consider Resolution No. 87 -17 authorizing the submission of a grant application for a Community Development Block
Grant
Mr. Pipes requested the Council's approval of this resolution, the caption of which is as follows:
RESOLUTION N0. 87 -17
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS AUTHORIZING THE
SUBMISSION OF A TEXAS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM APPLICATION TO THE TEXAS DEPART-
MENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND; AND AUTHORIZING THE
MAYOR TO ACT AS THE CITY'S EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN ALL
MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE CITY'S PARTICIPATION IN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
Mr. Pipes advised this application is for $331,614 in grant funds to carry out sanitary sewage facilit
construction. Additionally, he said, the City is enhancing its opportunity for these competitive grant funds b;
committing $82,462.00 for engineering design, inspection, surveying services and grant administration, as a loca
match (in -kind commitment), from its water and sewer fund, for a total project cost of $414,076. Mr. Pipes they
identified the three areas targeted as follows. Neighborhood One is a small unsewered area on FM 247 north 01
Huntsville across from the Diagnostic Unit (there is a north Huntsville lateral line running through there, bui
there is a ridge between the lateral and the isolated, low income houses involved in this grant proposal that dc
not have sewer service, while being surrounded by sewer service). The second small section (Neighborhood Two;
without sewer service , while being surrounded by areas where sewer is available, is on Watkins Street /Ryans Ferr;
Road. He said the third unsewered area (Neighborhood Three) is off of Possum Walk Road opposite Pine Shadows an
Spring Lake, off of Pine Hill Road. Councilmember Bell made the motion to approve Resolution No. 87-1;
authorizing the submission of this grant application as discussed above, and Councilmember Howard seconded the
motion. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously.
CITY MANAGER'S REPORT - -GENE PIPES
Mr. Pipes presented photographs showing the recent storm damage caused by the ten inch rain. He advise:
that several areas suffered severe damage: Spring Lake had sewer and water mains washed out and an old WPI
project headwall on 10th Street was washed out. He said next week, we will need to award a bid for emergent:
repairs to get this headwall reinstated so that we can put the water line back in service and make other wash -out
repairs. He said the line is now only secured by a chain borrowed from Gulf States to hold the cap on the end of
the pipe. Mayor Monday asked Mr. Pipes to share with the Council next week the functions of the city crews is
response to the community's needs during a storm. She noted everything went so smoothly during our recent win:
and rain storms that she would like for the Council to know how the city functions in order to be so extremel:
responsive. She said the Council sometimes does not give enough credit to those who are out there keeping the
city safe. She said she would like to spotlight this fact in the next meeting. Tuesday night.
ADJOURNMENT
Res�ec� lm� , �---
u h DeShaw, City Secretary
December 1, 1987