A couple new details emerged at the June 16 meeting of the Flandreau City Council regarding the citys impending acquisition of the ambulance service thats currently operated by Moody County Emergency Medical Services.
City Administrator Cohl Turnquist said he met with several officials City Attorney Matthew Tysdal, Moody County States Attorney Paul Lewis and commission assistant Marty Skroch to discuss a gift agreement regarding ambulance services assets. Furthermore, he said he hopes to have a job description and job advertisement for the city ambulance director position ready to go for the next City Council meeting on July 7.
I believe its imperative that the city hire an individual to serve as ambulance director as soon as possible, he said.
The council approved the acquisition plan on a 4-2 vote at its June 2 meeting. The decision came following some debate, including worries that it would only be a matter of a couple of years before Flandreau would find itself facing the same problem Moody County has been dealing with: finding enough funds to run the service.
Utility work
Councilors also heard from Shane Waterman of IMEG, who provided an update on the citys ongoing utility improvement project. Basically, the weather leading up to the June 16 meeting hadnt been doing them a lot of favors, causing some delays because of muddy conditions.
You cant pack mud, so mud all the way around is just not a good scenario for that, he said.
Better weather since then, however, has somewhat mitigated those earlier impacts, with work resuming and progress being made.
Other project-related issues that came up included some troubles with finding reliable valves in the citys systems for proper shutdowns, along with solutions for dealing with them some temporary, others more involved, but all carrying a price tag. Beyond that, Waterman also noted that a dozen or so homeowners have requested replacement quotes for their service lines.
Equipment purchase
Councilors, after discussion, debate and a 4-0 vote, also agreed to the purchase of a Ditch Witch excavation vacuum for $89,992.82.
That wasnt the original plan, though. The citys electric department had $100,000 in its budget for a newer digger truck but things changed, with Turnquist saying the issues with the truck have been repaired and its use reduced. Furthermore, he said, electric department staffers have made adjustments to their existing equipment and no longer believe its in the citys best interests to upgrade the digger truck.
This is where the new excavation vacuum enters the picture. Turnquist noted that electric staffers have been monitoring deterioration in the citys current excavation vacuum, which was purchased in 2003. While its the property of the electric department, it has also been shared with the sewer and water departments.
It really has seen quite a bit of wear and tear on that vehicle, Turnquist said.
The city sought and received a quote for a Ditch Witch vacuum excavator, which totaled the aforementioned $89,992.82. The bid originated on Sourcewell, which is a cooperative purchasing agency that the city utilizes on a regular basis.
I would say the vacuum is one of our most highly used pieces of equipment, Turnquist said. These folks use it every day to expose lines basically, its the safest way to dig up electric lines or, really, any infrastructure without causing serious harm because they can use the pressure washer to wash down and then vac up all the materials. That way you can expose things without cutting into (them).
He finished, Its way past its life of 22 years. Its a long time for any piece of equipment to be used that heavily. We are investing quite a bit of money on it year over year, replacing hoses, doing repairs, anything you can think of.
With the Ditch Witch purchase OKd, Turnquist said the old vacuum could be transferred to the sewer department. It would help those folks out on that side over there.
It would see less frequent usage as well right now, usage is nearly daily, Turnquist said so that would reduce the odds of the equipment needing further repair work.
MRES sponsorship
On a unanimous voice vote, councilors agreed to sponsor two local organizations as part of the Missouri River Energy Service Community Event Sponsorship: $500 apiece, for a total of $1,000, will go to Flandreau Fridays and the Missoula Childrens Theater Camp. MRES will match the citys gift and, in return, will receive publicity at the events.
In previous years, Mayor Dan Sutton said the city awarded the sponsorship to the Crystal Theatre Fall Musical.
In other business at the June 16 meeting, councilors:
Heard about a pair of upcoming events: The Moody County Historical Society and Museums Summerfest event at 706 E. Pipestone Ave. on July 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and the Airport Fly In Breakfast on July 6 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Flandreau Municipal Airport south of town on state Highway 34.
Learned that the city intended to spray for mosquitoes on June 18, with a goal of once-a-week spraying thereafter.
Heard from Turnquist regarding Flandreau High School graduate Cameron Flute, who earned a $2,000 Powerline Scholarship from MRES.
Learned that city offices will be closed for the July 4 holiday.
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