The city of Urbana Curbside Recycling Program is up for the taking after City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution allowing Director of Administration Kerry Brugger to conduct a public bid process for companies interested in providing curbside recycling collection to city residents.
Community Development Manager Doug Crabill said the plan is to continue offering the program as is, but the time has come to seek bids as the city’s current contract with Waste Management of Ohio Inc. expires on Aug. 31.
Under the current agreement, the city’s monthly cost, based on 3,600 residential units, is $11,448, which is funded through revenues collected from residential utility billing accounts. The cost per residential unit is $3.18 per month.
In addition to curbside recycling, the city is seeking bids for other services, such as the collection and disposal of yard waste, leaves and solid waste.
The bids for additional services, Crabill said, are being sought to give the city an idea of what the going rate for these services are in case it’s something council would like to pursue in the future.
“I like the idea of looking at some additional services, possibly,” council member Dwight Paul said. “I think that’s a really good idea.”
U.S. Route 36 work set to begin
In preparation for the start of construction work on the U.S. 36 East Improvements Project, which will kick off next month, council approved a purchase order in the amount of $11,244 to Bowser-Morner Inc. for material testing.
Crabill said the work is being requested by the Ohio Department of Transportation, which is helping to fund the $1.3 million project (city has budgeted $235,000 for its local share) that will install curbs and gutters, sidewalks, street lights and storm sewer infrastructure on East U.S. Route 36 from Berwick Drive to Lippincott Lane.
The material testing, he added, will focus mainly on the concrete used to construct the sidewalks, curbs and gutters.
“Every so many loads of concrete get tested,” Crabill said. “It’s really kind of an investment in the quality of the project. It’s a good measure.”
Asphalt work approved
The city’s 2017 Asphalt Program was given the green light by council, which agreed to a unit price contract with A&B Asphalt Corporation in the amount of $301,699.63.
Roadways within the city that will be resurfaced this summer include James Avenue, South Edgewood Avenue (bridge only), West Ward Street, Community Drive, and the city-owned parking lot located behind the Gloria Theatre.
To help maintain the current condition of city roads, this year’s Asphalt Program also involves crack sealing work on the following roadways: Hagenbuch Street, Pindar Street, Union Street, Eagle Street, West Twain Avenue, Mosgrove Street (North Oakland Avenue to Railroad Street), Gwynne Street (Railroad Street to North Main Street), East Reynolds Street (South Main Street to South Kenton Street) and all drives at Oak Dale Cemetery.
Crabill added a portion of the $300,000-plus road work will be funded through the newly created Stormwater Fund as the 2017 Asphalt Program calls for curb and gutter work to be done during the paving process on West Ward Street only.
Crabill reminded residents the new stormwater utility fee of $5 per month per water meter will take effect on next month’s utility bills.
In other business:
•Mayor Bill Bean read a mayoral proclamation recognizing the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Ohio County Boards of Developmental Disabilities by the Ohio General Assembly in October 1967.
Bean proclaimed 2017 as a year of celebration for all of Ohio’s county boards of developmental disabilities, and he urged “all citizens to support opportunities to encourage full access to education, housing, employment and recreational activities.”
•Council agreed to trade in three mowers toward the purchase of three new ones from Apple Farm Services, Mechanicsburg, at a cost of $14,050 (includes trade-in values).
One of the new mowers – a 61-inch Bad Boy Outlaw Class mid-mount mower – will be used at city parks and for nuisance control, while the other two – 52-inch Grasshopper 725KT front-mount mowers – will be used at Oak Dale Cemetery.
Brugger said in order to maintain the city’s fleet of mowers, administration seeks to trade them in before they go out of warranty.
•The cost to insure all city-owned property for the year increased 2.47 percent from 2016 as council signed off on the coverage through the Public Entities Pool at a one-year cost of $151,229.
•Council passed a resolution approving the local Tax Incentive Review Council’s (TIRC) recommendations to continue the city’s two enterprise zone agreements with the American Pan Company and the Ultra-met Company, as well as the city’s two Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreements involving White’s Service Center (on the books but not active) and the 10-unit T-hangar at Grimes Field.
