Library Board meeting October 27
Update on Library expansion – Construction will go ahead, parking for the handicapped is an issue.
Grants – NSL grant to provide new educational stations, with games for all grade levels. The library will come up with the match and will not count on the county.
Lori Romero stated the grants have gone from 4 pages to 11 pages.
There will be no board meeting in November. December 8 will be the next meeting.
The County budget cuts are coming up and this is a worry to the library. A request is made to tell Commissioners the library can not endure a 10% cut.
County Commission meeting October 28
Laurie Carson was absent due to surgery. Get well soon.
Public Comment
George Chachas said he missed the last commission meeting because he was not notified. He said the agenda was sent to him days after the meeting.
Bill Miller reported the debris on a Cherry Creek road has been removed. The party placing the debris there has not been identified as of yet, so who is to be billed for the removed has not been determined.
The fence in question has been removed. Bill did report there is other debris that needs to be cleared.
Bald Mountain Mine Expansion – some roads are not on the maps and ownership needs to be determined. Contracts need to be made for the county to maintain roads.
Bunny Hill – Ely Bus, there are 3 buses, one needs a new engine, one needs repairs and one is running. Attempt is being made to get the money for a new engine.
Jim Garza – report on Camp Success, scheduled work should be completed this spring.
Lori Romero said she is just waiting to see dirt moving on the Library Expansion.
Mike Wheable stated that the felony rate is up. Domestic violence is one reason that the rate is up. This may be that there is not more crime, but more are being prosecuted.
Mike Wheable read a letter thanking White Pine County for joining the complaint in a lawsuit concerning the sage grouse land use. Mike felt this needed some research as to the vote on the subject. White Pine did give money, but did we agree to be complainants?
Bill Calderwood spoke on the Pennington Foundation Grant.
This will be used to build an amphitheater by the duck pond.
Carol McKenzie stated a need to remove the Ely Time logo from the Administration building and label it correctly. Carol also addressed the problem with parking in front of the building. There is only one handicap parking place and at lunch time patrons of the restaurant across the street fill all spots. Several Solutions were discussed. One was to have the city put in parking lines on the restaurant side of the street to prevent parallel parking (Mike Coster). Mike Wheable questioned as to the ownership of 11th. It may be a state owned street, NDOT seems to have a say on what goes on.
Gary Perea discussed the water rights application and possible abandonment of these applications.
Kathy Ricci asked about hiring a full time assistant for the pool. Richard Howe stated he does not see a need for a full time person. The county has a hiring freeze and this should included replacements. Megan Brown stated she is spending her time Supervising the pool workers and not getting other things done.
Mike Coster, “The pool is open 57 hours a week and reporting 120 hours as part time assistant.” “Will the hours increase to 160?” ” We should wait until summer.”
Carol McKenzie,”She knows what she needs, kids who work at the pool need supervision.”
The vote passed 3 to 1. Richard Howe voted for and Mike Coster voted no.
Jim Garza asked to review the option to award all DOE Grant Funds to Killian Technologies. Passed
McGill and Ruth fire trucks need to be financed with a loan. Elizabeth Frances came up with several options. They can each get a loan at FNB at 3.7%, USD at 3.25% or a county loan at 2.00% for 10 years. A discussion about a possible 5 year guaranteed loan at 2.00% and re-evaluate at the end of this 5 years. Loan amounts are $82,100.00 for McGill and $36,700.00 for Ruth. Commissioners will have a public meeting concerning these two loans.
Carol J. Ferguson was appointed to the Baker Advisory Board.
Bunny Hill – Road closures for next years SSCC – approved
Last weeks question and answer:
To whom did Mahatma Gandhi write for advice on diet and exercise?
A: Strongman Charles Atlas
New question:
What did Hyman Lipman do in 1858 that made life easier for students?
Opinion
G Wop
Philosopher Camus wrote “Always go too far, because that’s where you will find the truth.
Commissioners – Where are the hard choices we were promise?
Tourism – What happened to the signage committee?
The GID really impress me the minute I walked in. They were having a ethics and procedure class. This is important to all boards.
If you become delinquent in paying your water bill, can you afford a $35.00 fee to turn it on again?
The lower base usage rate should not be a big deal to most people. Just cut your usage by taking a shorter shower.
Tourism Meeting
All members appeared to have gotten a good nights sleep.
I am glad Ed put an end to a rumor. Rumors do need to be taken care of quickly, if left to linger they seem to become fact!
The approval of the Christmas Dinner with no charge is a good one. The library should have been handled in the same way. Question, is there any guide lines as to who gets the free card and who does not? I believe there should be so other Organizations does not think they need the facilities free.
Installing the demand controller is a must. I wonder if other city and county buildings have them.
I am afraid I was not aware of how much the revenue room tax provides to the Tourism Board, $409,000.00 does seem like a lot.
The NSS 75th anniversary convention being held in Ely next year will bring revenue to White Pine County and Ely.
Please join us from July 16-23, 2016 in Ely, Nevada as we celebrate our past 75 years and look forward into the future of caving.
Welcome to the Great Basin of the American West!
I did not hear anything about the signage committee. I hope they are working hard. We need signs, please do not drop the ball!
Ely City Council
Why is the city fire department maintaining the county trucks? I know agreements and contract between the county and city are hard to come by. There seems to be very little cooperation between the two. This may be a good thing. The county needs money and the city seems to be doing fine, no…the roads are a mess.
A full time inspector for a four week job at $10,000 seems a little over kill. This seems to me an inspection 3 time a week would cover things, or inspections at different stages.
We can thank the council for not voting for a landscaping ordnance. This is a nice western town and should not look like anything else. This ordnance would only add expense to new business.
Geri Wop
