The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session August 28. Members present included Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Jessy Betts, Mike Hadland and City Administrator Deb Zimmer. Mayor Jim Struzyk was absent, so Jones led the meeting. No visitors had signed up to address the council.
Council members spoke with the owner of a house on West High Street that had sustained fire damage. Others in the neighborhood had complained about the condition of the home. The owner (Brian) stated, “The letter I got said there was nothing being done there. We’ve hauled out twelve tons of garbage and debris…It’s gutted down to the studs right now, and we’re figuring out what to do with it.” He added that it was good to leave the house open for a while, as that gave everything a chance to air out.
Jessy Betts asked, “What’s the short-term plan for it? Is the house structurally sound?” The owner replied that house mainly sustained smoke damage, with only one stud getting charred. He added, “I do want to get it sealed up. Windows and siding will be first.” The council took no formal action on the issue.
Next, the council discussed the request from a business to use the incubator building, for an indoor shrimp facility. It was discussed that although the city could continue to use the building, it would be good to allow a new business into town by renting it out. Zimmer pointed out that the request was for a seven-year lease, but that the city generally hasn’t signed such agreements for more than five years at a time. She also said the business owner had mentioned putting steel siding on the building, and she said the council could consider asking for that in lieu of rent. After discussion, the council voted to seek a five-year lease agreement, with siding in lieu of rent, or with a rental amount agreeable to both parties.
Zimmer said that the city’s contract with Peopleservices to manage the waste water treatment plant is coming up for review. She asked if the council would like to advertise to hire a Class B Operator for the plant, rather than contracting with Peopleservices. She explained this would result in a small savings for the city, but that the real benefit would be that person’s availability to help with other duties for the city (street maintenance). The council voted to inform Peopleservices that the city will be seeking a Class B Operator.
The council voted to approve the hiring of Kyle Murphy as an EMT, pending certification. Zimmer said the city had some recent trouble with the website and internet connectivity. She added, “Onsite was here to work with the server; it was the server, not the internet.” She said it’s been working better since. The next regular meeting of the city council will be Monday, September 11 at 6 p.m. The public is welcome.