City Council hears construction updates, were City Pool is headed and postponing skatepark project

Malta Mayor Shyla Jones and Malta Public Works Director Jim Truelove had a meeting with TD&H, the firm charged with the engineering portion of the city’s water project, and though things have been tense between the entities of late, the latest meeting was more “productive.”

“We started at 11 (a.m.) and finished at about 5:30 (p.m.),” Mayor Jones said. “It was a very long meeting, but I feel it was also a very productive meeting as well.”

At the first Malta City Council meeting in March, Mayor Jones reported TD&H and the City differed on how many days were left to finish the project, but the two sides were a little closer than previous estimated days left. Mayor Jones said the construction work will re-start around May 1, but if the weather allows, the work will begin sooner. One potential snafu Mayor Jones mentioned was construction crews wanting to do work near South First Street East the same time as the Annual First State Bank Car Show.

“Their plan is to be in our downtown area during the car show,” Mayo Jones said. “If we ask them not to, or redirect them, they can charge us (extra) for time and materials.”

Mayor Jones said that water project work this summer will also shutdown traffic going beneath the underpass which connects Central Avenue and US Highway 2. She said she recently met with emergency personnel and talked about keeping a small portion of driveway to be left open near Blades Hair and Nail Design for emergency vehicles. Other traffic will be rerouted up Frontage Road/ South 1st Street East.

During the New Business portion of the night’s meeting, Director Truelove said he had ordered the needed sand for the City Pool and the heaters would be ordered next (they can be delivered in two weeks after being ordered.) Mayor Jones said she has been approached by Malta Public Schools to possibly use the pool for PE classes in May and the Malta Swim Team announced this past weekend that they will host their meet the first weekend in July. Mayor Jones said she had recently talked with members of the Hi-Line Future Foundation (HFF) — in charge of raising funds for a new pool — and let the council know she would like to be able to give the organization some direction for the future.

Mayor Jones asked that a member of the council start attending the meetings — Councilwoman Bonnie Wiederrick agreed to start attending — and what to do if money from the Community Fund is unavailable for the project.

“I think this council needs to decide, before you buy land and before (HFF) continues working, what happens if Community Fund decides not to give because they are talking about loans only right now?” Mayor Jones said. “I am very optimistic, but there is no way that group is going to raise one and a half to two million dollars in three to four years, it’s just not possible.”

The three to four years Mayor Jones referenced is the expected life remaining on the current pool with the improvements the City budgeted for in 2017. Mayor Jones also asked the council to consider, if no Community Funds are to be had, whether to ask for a special tax for a new pool and if so, will that tax request be made of just City of Malta residents or all of Phillips County.

“There is no point in (HFF) busting their butt if there is no site in end,” she said. “You have to have a plan and right now I just don’t think the City has a plan.”

The plan to install a bathroom at the Malta Skatepark looks to be on hold this year. Mayor Jones said that though the City has the bathroom budgeted for, she just didn’t think the City has enough man-power to do the work this year because of many new hires on the Public Works Crew.

“At this point I told Jim (Truelove) not to order the (prefabricated) bathroom,” Mayor Jones said.

All the Board Members agreed that a bathroom needs to go into the skatepark and Mayor Jones suggested that the new bathroom might have to wait until next year.