Council awards bid for Hanna Springs pool project
By DAVID LOWE Staff Writer

As part of just a 30-minute meeting Monday, the Lampasas City Council unanimously agreed to award a $416,635 bid for the Hanna Springs Swimming Pool project to Aquatic Renovation Systems Inc.

The council voted Oct. 15 to reject the first three bids city staff received for replacing the gutter and installing a PVC liner in the pool. Aquatic Renovation Systems offered a voluntary alternate bid of $437,000 in October. As a result, the Indianapolis company's updated bid will save Lampasas about $20,000 for the same scope of work the city originally advertised, City Manager Michael Stoldt said.

In other matters, the council voted 7-0 to approve an $18,000 agreement with Langford Community Management Services for grant consultant services. The agreement includes all costs associated with grant administration at the planned sports complex on Farm-to-Market Road 580 West. Monty Blackmon, who recently retired as Parks and Recreation director, had been the city's grant administrator for the sports park project.

In another unanimous vote, the council OK'd a resolution for a joint election with Lampasas County. The City Council then voted 7-0 to approve a contract, contingent on confirmation of proportionate representation on any board, for election services and joint elections between the city and the county.

The contract will allow citizens to vote in county, city and Lampasas Independent School District elections all in one location.

"I think the great thing is that it'll just be so simple for people to vote," Stoldt said. "In the city of Lampasas, when you go to vote, it's a one-stop shop."

Kempner also will participate in joint elections with the county and school district.

Mayor Judy Hetherly and Councilman Robert McCauley said they hope the joint elections will improve voter turnout.

In another 7-0 vote, the council declined an offer to purchase water treatment and pipeline capacity from Kempner Water Supply Corp. Engineering analyses indicate Lampasas' need for treatment capacity will not exceed the supply until 2050. Pipeline and reserve treatment capacity should meet the city's needs until almost 2070.

Rather than purchasing additional capacity from Central Texas Water Supply Corp. through KWSC, Lampasas can meet emergency water needs through resources within the city, Stold said.

"Staff's feeling has been that if we spend money for additional capacity, we should look at utilizing the water source we have here," he said.

Water in Lampasas would not supply the whole city, but it could relieve temporarily the burden on infrastructure if the city's supply pipeline breaks or a treatment plant goes out of service briefly, the city manager added.

The council also unanimously approved a $17,500 professional engineering services agreement with R.W. Beck Inc. for an industrial customer water and wastewater cost of service study. The city will fund half the project from water distribution and the other 50 percent from wastewater collection.

In other matters, the council:

• approved the first reading of an ordinance adopting the 2007 City of Lampasas Standard Contract Documents, Standard Technical Specifications and Standard Construction Details Manual.

• awarded a bid of $11,170 to Lanford Equipment Co. Inc. for a Kubota zero-turn-radius mower. The mower comes with a two-year extended warranty, available after January 2008.

• approved the appointment of Ruthie Martin and Diana Hodges to the Lampasas Public Library Advisory Board. Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Hodges replace Bennie Bulloch and Gail Callahan, who have submitted letters of resignation. The council also OK'd the re-appointment of Kay Gray Fox and June Davis, whose terms will expire Dec. 31.