As is too often the norm, IT was in for more money to replace the ancient microphones that the Council used. 8 each at $200.00 each= $1,600.00. Most times, the problem is more Mr. Rogers, Mr. Skogstag and Ms. Smith too far from the microphones.
During the "new business" section where those who ask for the privilege to address Council in what is a RIGHT, Mr. Frazier asked if it was not time to delete the $27K from the budget for a Secretary to the Mayor?
Mr. Rapp: NO.
There were numerous financial questions asked and most went unanswered.
Last speaker was to have been Ms. Ethel Harris, but she was absent due to a Health Issue with her husband.
Here is where Mr. Rapp once again showed his A** as she is usually not very flattering to him even after decades of being fed Kool Aid/ lied too. His very sympathetic comment was " I am sure she will reschedule. We will see her next month". Now we can have moments of silence and numerous hope so and so gets better soon when it is someone on the "kiss the ring and/ or fanny" list, but otherwise not much to show he really represents the Community as a whole. He is a disgrace to himself on a good day.
The Landscaping Bid came under some scrutiny at $18,481.01 from Scots Landscaping (of course). The bid is set up so whomever gets it has to water the plants all year. Ergo, Scots with their little watering truck.
Mr. Mathers who was there to present some type of awards to some kids for doing drawing that while interesting were as usual Mr. Rapp's attempt to draw attention away from what was coming later in the meeting. As soon as the presentations were made, the place emptied out so the large turnout noted by some was not really all that large if the Staff and their accompaniments (definition: Something added for embellishment, completeness, or symmetry; complement.), were left out.
He noted that the landscaping has "stabilized" once both ends of Grand Central were done. So it was pretty much fixed in place and there would be no reductions as people expected the City Properties to look like that each year.
Not sure what we were doing with the Gravity Bar? Seems it is an approximate 110' zip line where the kids weave all over the area? Mr. Harris noted it would replace items that had gotten old. That is forever the excuse for more and more at more and more expense. In this case, it seemed as Vienna is the first City to have one in West Virginia. See, we become more and more like a Carnival side show ride each year.
Big todo about moving $125K from the 2019- 2020 Budget to keep the City in compliance with the EPA- DEP guidelines for developing the JM site. That leaves $75K for that Fiscal Year (don't bet on it for a second), City will be back for that and more next year.
I am going to say, that they are beginning to run a scam on you folks. This money could easily be taken from the unencumbered fund or the 1% sales tax money, now. This is serving some sort of concept to move money too soon from where ever to begin to fool people on how much money is left in many of the current accounts. This is the end of February and the Fiscal Year ends in just four (4), more months. And there will be another huge influx of tax dollars from the sales tax in late April- probably the biggest deposit of the year if history holds out?
Remember that I questioned the budget for this year with $9,085,363 versus next Fiscal Year in the Draft #1 at $9,054,143? This when we were supposed to have $10,300,000? That was a difference of $1,235,857? Where was it I asked? Well if those of you that have downloaded and copied the Budget of just look now at it, you will see in the upper right hand corner an amount of $1,268,237. Subtract the $1,235,857 from that $1,268,237 and you have just $22,380 which would be about right for the Coal Severance Revenue that is NOT showing up anywhere as it does on earlier Budgets: COAL SEVERANCE TAX FUND and than an amount which in the 2016-2017 Levy Budget was estimated at $26,200. The line for Oil/Gas Severance is a NEW Line. In this budget for 2018-2019 is only $12,000. I believe that is where they are hiding the money that has disappeared off the current Draft? This is under the Library heading on the City Web Site page and than down to Budgets.
Now let them explain how I am wrong on the above numbers being where they are?
Mr. Leach went after Mr. Sasyn on his presentation about potential issues with the JM site being a Superfund versus a Brownfield site? He noted one should not come to Council and make anecdotal comments that are not correct. (The definition of anecdotal is something that is story-like or something that is based on stories and retellings, not based on provable facts.) The lower site has been fully evaluated/ sampled and there is no Chromium.
FACT: When the Stacks had to be relined over the years, the old Chromium Bricks were taken to the 40- 50' deep ravine and dumped in there. (I have spoken to the old gentleman who drove the truck that dumped contaminants of one type or another in that ravine and down the bank into the Ohio River many times. He has also noted that Mr. Weigal's father drove the bulldozer that pushed dirt onto the debris after it was dumped in the ravine. I have contact with a person who used to be driven down with his sister by the mother in the family car to pick up their father after his shift ended at night. They both remember watching the truck going to the ravine and material being dumped). Those bricks are in that damn ravine but much farther down than the one bore site to 22'. Along with Heaven knows what else?
The lousy job of drilling around and for sure in that ravine (which Mr. Rapp says never existed), probably along the River Bank and combined with issues on the sample bottles (twice), and shipping containers (twice), being received unsealed per Protocol makes those samples and probably many others suspect?
And the most telling was Mr. Rogers saying that JM was not required to have permits in those days to dump in the ravine (and who knows where else?). Plus he said that once we have permission to develop the Park area, we can NOT DIG anywhere on that site. We can bring in dirt and dig into that for water/ sewer/ whatever, but not below that level. And if we can not dig there, we can NOT put in a boat dock/ landing.
There was also comments made at the Town Forum on all the antifreeze that was dumped down there over the years. I will stop for now and more later. 'nuff said'.