Sulphur Springs City Council received from City Manager Marc Maxwell the following monthly manager’s report on Jan. 5, 2021:
COVID-19 RESPONSE
The number of active cases in Hopkins County decreased 11% since our last meeting with a total of 150 active cases as of January 04, 2021. The state has tested a total of 7,197 people at the Hopkins County testing site since this whole thing began. We have had 2,095 cumulative recoveries and 70 cumulative fatalities (40%
increase from last month) in Hopkins County. The hospital has 30 patients in the COVID19 unit as of today which is up 30% from last month.
As a part of the City’s response to Covid-19 the City suspended the practice of cutting off water service for non-payment. Some of the balances are growing quite high. The total arrearage is $152,037.68 with 584 accounts (8.71% of all accounts) in arrears. We now have a vaccine available on a limited basis. As it begins to become more widely available, we will have to decide how to bring the delinquent accounts up to a current status. I will likely propose requiring residents to pay their current bill along with 1/6th or 1/12th of their arrearage to avoid being cut off. In this way their accounts would be brought current in either 6 months or 12 months.
GRAYS BUILDING
The steel work is completed, and wooden framing has begun. You can now walk through the building and get a real sense of what it is going to look like.
SENIOR CITIZENS BUILDING
Construction drawings are still being prepared by REES Associates. We have hired Tandem Consulting to oversee the construction just like the Grays Building.
MCCANN STREET
Texana Land and Asphalt paved McCann Street in December. This project is now complete.
WOODLAWN STREET
The Capital Construction Division has completed the sewer main and the water main. They are now replacing portions of curb and gutter. Texana Land and Asphalt will then cement-stabilize the road base and pave the street with asphalt.
SAPUTO SEWER MAIN
This is the next capital improvement project. This $750,000 sewer project is funded entirely by a grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture. The new main will supplement an older undersized main. The path of the new main begins at Saputo and continues under the interstate. It then continues South for 3,500 feet before connecting to an existing trunk line. The new main has a 15-inch inch diameter. This grant is made possible because of a $50 million plant upgrade at Saputo and their cooperation with the Texas Department of Agriculture. Without their cooperation this project would not have been possible.
COLLEGE STREET
This will be the next project after the Saputo Sewer Line Project
CLAIMS
We did not have any workers compensation claims in December. We did have one liability claim for a sewer back up. We have submitted the claim to the TML risk pool. We recently began paying an extra premium for supplemental sewage backup coverage, so I expect this claim to be paid.
REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES
Finance Director Lesa Smith will present a report of revenues and expenditures.
Elsewhere around the city, employees:
- Made 12 extensive street repairs following utility repairs.
- Repaired 726 Potholes at various locations.
- Replaced 3 stop signs and 3 street signs.
- Hauled off concrete from buildings that were removed at the Airport.
- Put out barricades for a power pole that had been knocked down on Texas St.
- Put out barricades in flood areas for storms.
- Finished hauling street sweeper material to the Republic/Malloy Landfill.
- Installed curbs on Davis Street, in place of the approach for the old Ashcroft St, as well as a driveway next to it.
- Cleaned out storm drains 4 times.
- Repaired and replaced sidewalks at various locations around Coleman Park.
- Began installing new sidewalks at 2 locations at the Airport.
- Replaced 2 sections of the Cross-Town Trail to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- Responded to 277 fire/rescue calls including 4 structure fires, 3 vehicle fires and 10 grass fires.
- Performed 5 fire inspections and reviewed 78 pre-fire plans.
- Performed preventative maintenance on 78 fire hydrants.
- Responded to 183 animal control calls.
- Achieved a 72% adoption rate at the animal shelter.
- Made 2 felony arrests in the Special Crimes Unit.
- Seized 4 pounds of marijuana and over $15,000
- Responded to 33 accidents, wrote 493 citations, recorded 56 offenses, made 6 arrests and responded to 2,125 calls for police service.
- Conducted 30 building inspections, 7 electrical inspections, 5 plumbing inspections, 6 mechanical inspections, and issued 19 building permits.
- Installed retrofit LED in Coleman Water Tower office.
- Installed retrofit LED in soccer field concession, bathrooms and storage facility building.
- Maintenance on Christmas lights on several streetlights and buildings.
- Installed new flow meter at the wastewater treatment plant.
- Installed fire extinguishers at the airport, hanger #27.
- Began installation on electrical service and powers for newly refurbished hanger at the airport.
- Installed light at the police department under awning in the back lot.
- Replaced lights at animal shelter dog kennels with LED.
- Replaced water valve and flush valve in women’s restroom at the Library.
- Maintenance work in restroom at Imagination Mountain.
- Maintenance work on locks for the Parks and Recreation Department.
- Maintenance work on central heat at the wastewater plant.
- Delivered door frames to Grays Building.
- Maintenance work on pad locks at the service center.
- Routine inspection and checks on central heat and air units at city hall.
- Meeting with East Texas Compost regarding compost operations on needed structural repairs to composting facility.
- Completed 4th quarter Bio-Monitoring DMR.
- Replaced Chlorinator auto switch over on one-ton cylinder.
- Ordered and installed flush valve on final clarifier #2.
- Changed bearings in Bar-Screen “B”.
- Assisted GraCon installing flow meter on north aeration train #1.
- Ordered replacement pump for effluent sampler.
- Completed recall work on service vehicles 70-951, 70-958, and 70-970.
- Treated wastewater to a daily average total suspended solids count of .56 mg/L
- Repaired 8 water main ruptures and replaced 13 water meters.
- Unstopped 14 sewer mains and repaired 2 sewer mains.
- Washed 70,000 feet of sewer mains.
- Collected three sets of bacteriological samples in the distribution system.
- Collected TOC samples delivered to AEL in Tyler and received results.
- Collected distribution chlorite samples, shipped to lab and received results.
- Flushed 36 dead end water mains.
