Malta City Council names Brown as new Public Works Director

At the April 9th Malta City Council Meeting, Malta Mayor Shyla Jones announced that there is a vacancy on the Phillips Transit Board with the departure of Curtis Starr from the position. The city will be appointing a “public member” to finish his term which ends in June.

“Anybody that is interested is to contact the mayor or a council person and submit their name,” said Carolyn Schmoeckel, City Clerk and Treasurer. She said the position requires the member of the Phillips Transit Board to attend a monthly meeting.

In the Public Comments of the City Council Meeting, Mayor Jones told the council that there will be no free loads for demolished structures this spring. Clerk Schmoeckel told the PCN that this will be the case the spring because of budget limitations.

“We kind of did it every other year and a while back it was once a year,” she said. “But it just got so expensive.”

Schmoeckel said that in the past that a number of hauls were made to the city landfill for free and often numerous loads from one location would be made. At that point restriction were made and people could call in and request removal once. However, the current price of fuel, coupled with the man-hours needed to complete the work, is just too expensive at this point that and the service is on hiatus.

In the new business portion of the meeting, Mayor Jones said that city had received two bids for soil and soil placement for the city landfill. The bids were made by 21 Construction ($5,610) and Ed Peigneux ($8,470.) After review, Mayor Jones asked Ed Peigneux if his bid includes surveying the piles of soil with Peigneux answering yes, according to minutes from the meeting. Peigneux was awarded the bid.

Resolution #1170 – summer and winter landfill days and hours of operation -- was presented and approved at the meeting. The resolution moves to scales back the amount of time the landfill will now be open.

“It used to be open seven days a week in the summer,” Schmoeckel said. “But the loads just aren’t there anymore to warrant a full time employee work those hours.”

The landfill will now be open Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and legal holidays. The facility will also be closed Mondays and Saturdays from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. for the lunch hour.

The final bit of New Business at the Tuesday meeting was to vote James Brown as the new Public Works Director when John Demarais retires at the End of July. Demarais has been the director for the past 15 years and filled the position following the retirement of Stan Wombold.

In the Department Reports portion of the City Council Meeting, Demarais stated that he and his team found no leaks in any of the city sanitary or storm drain systems. He said that were found at the old Gambles building on 1st St. West, Hardware Hank, Radio Shack and GN all on 1st St. East and added that a vent pipe on First State Bank was not high enough.

Demarais reported that three plugged sewers had been taken care of, that alley way in town are being bladed with dirt were needed and requested permission that he and Eric Witmer to attend mosquito school and sprayer calibration class in Glasgow on May 8. The council approved the request.

Clerk Schmoeckel reported that as the Floodplain Administrator, she has given approval for the PC Historical Society to level and add fill the lower end of the lots behind the proposed Antique Modes of Transportation structure. Schmoeckel said she had a conversation with property owner, Jan Abrahamson, concerning the project and assured her that this fill should not affect any flood waters and her property.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, it was brought to the council’s attention that a call was made by a Malta resident asking why Malta Ready Mix is running an excavator on the city streets. Director Demarais said that he would inform the company that the action cannot be committed.

During the correspondence portion of the meeting, a copy a copy of letter sent to Greg Evans to clean-up his property, a copy of letter sent to Dawn Haynes to clean-up her yard and copies of letters sent to Darrell Carney and Greg Kelsey concerning their illegally placed storage shed were discussed.

Mayor Jones also said that the Malta Swim Meet is scheduled for May 14 and 15, but added that she has concerns that the pool will not be ready that early.

During the Other Comments portion of the City Council Meeting, Councilman Warren Abrahamson asked about the new construction underway at the Malta Tire Center on Highway 2. Mayor Jones said that the State Highway Department is looking into it and that perhaps the addition is on the highway right-of-way.

Lastly, the gym in the City Hall will be getting new, energy efficient lighting.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” said Schmoeckel. “Right now we have all those old fluorescent bulbs. They say we are going to save quite a bit of money.”

She said that the light switches will be placed at different stations and put behind a lock box to avoid turning all the banks on at the same time, which will also hopefully save money.