Park tossed into ‘deplorable’ basket

During the Public Forum at the El Dorado Springs City Council meeting, Monday, Oct. 3, Roberto Valle of Lockwood, in the company of Sherry Morlan, complained that the Park looked just terrible, deplorable and was nothing like the Park he visited as a child with his grandparents. Valle said he spends $35,000 a year on things like cattle feed and as a “taxpayer” he feels that the condition of the Park is “not right.” He complained about the picnic tables being gone and that the bathrooms have been locked when has visited the Park. He stated that he’d had prostate surgery and so had a number of his friends and when he needs to go to the bathroom he needs one immediately.

He wanted to know why the picnic tables under two of the shelter houses were gone and why the Park had been let go. El Dorado Springs Police Chief Jarod Schiereck, who was at the meeting, said that the bathrooms were locked when Park Caretaker Lonnie Offield goes home at 3 p.m. and the tables had been removed because of vandalism. He said that when a police officer catches a juvenile they are turned over to the juvenile office, but that does not stop the vandalism.

Valle said there were limbs and leaves in the Park and paint was peeling from the west side of the Community Building. He asked where all the money was going that was allocated for the Park. City Manager Bruce Rogers told him that property tax income is approximately $63,000 for parks and that covers three city parks. The total recreation budget is $460,000 in revenue and $530,000 in expenditures that includes recreation, parks, pool, golf and the Civic Center. Rogers also told Valle that the City Hall/ Civic Center has multiple bathrooms and is open until 9 p.m. during the week and 10 p.m. on weekends.  Valle asked if the picnic tables would be brought back and if a sign could be posted with the hours the park restrooms are open as well as directing people to the ones in the Civic Center.

Mayor Bard True said he has lived in El Dorado Springs for 28 years and feels the Park looks better now than it ever has since he has been a resident. Morlan said “Liar.” She asked if the council wasn’t embarrassed when a television station recently came to town to report on the water and showed the spring basin with leaves in it. Rogers pointed out that the leaves are removed each morning, but by afternoon more have collected in the basin.

Valle said there were federal grants that wouldn’t cost the city anything that could be used to fix up the Park.

Rogers said the City receives compliments all the time from citizens and visitors. Buildings and Grounds Director John Burrus was also present at the meeting and took exception to Valle and Morlan’s characterization of the condition of the Park. He said he remembered when he was a kid that there was green slime in the basin.

All councilmen  were present for the meeting; Jim Luster, Nick Bland, Randy Bland and Jerry Baldwin along with True, Rogers and City Clerk Lisa Allison.

Kimball Long with the Sun newspaper said she was thankful the City had the  forethought to build the other substation.

The budget works session began with Burrus reviewing the recreation, park, pool, golf and cemetery budgets. Capital outlay items include sidewalks, weedeater and pole saw in the park, paint for the pool, cart paths, a used greens mower and used greens roller for the golf, road improvements, 10×10 shelter pad and 2-zero turn mowers for the cemetery.

Schiereck reviewed the police and animal control budget with the only capital outlay item being a new police car. Next year a new server will be needed for the police department due to mandated  changes in the record management system.

Luster asked Schiereck how long the police department was evacuated during the recent fire at the substation. Schiereck said about one hour. Luster said it is very disconcerting to call the police station and not get an answer and asked Schiereck if there was any long term plan to develop a command center sway from the station. Schiereck said he is trying to put something together at City Hall or mobile command center in the department’s HumVee.

Schiereck said he wanted to commend the Sergeant on the job during the situation last week while the chief was out of town in training.  Luster asked Schiereck if there are funds in the budget to temporarily hire someone to help Jennipher during the busy grass season. Schiereck said that Jennipher completed 87 reports during the month of August.

Rogers passed out an amendment to the Electric Budget to include apprioximately $1,000,000 in both revenue and expenditure due to the substation fire last week.

Rogers wanted everyone to be aware that the city does have insurance on the substation and that the insurance investigator was here last Thursday. He will probably send an electrical engineer. Rogers also told the council that the transmission power feeding the substation did not discontinue for some reason and that is why it was so difficult to get the fire out due to the continuous arcing. He said the listed value of the substation exceeds $1,000,000. Rogers said the second substation was built in 2006 with the capacity to carry the entire City even during peak usage in the summer. He said DNR had visited the site of the substation fire and the city is following all requirements. Sunbelt Environmental is coming to do required clean up. Rogers said that soil will have to be removed where mineral oil penetrated the ground, but the creek will not have to be cleaned since it was mineral oil.

On the first and second reading, the council voted to adopt a comprehensive budget for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the city,

During the Mayor/Council report, Baldwin asked the status of the derelict houses. Rogers said there is one left on Jackson and someone has expressed an interest in purchasing it and fixing it up.