The City of Salem Board of Aldermen met for its regularly scheduled meeting June 11, with much discussion surrounding attempts to contact Nexgrid, the current AMI system provider for Salem. Present were aldermen Shawn Bolerjack, Catherine Dent, John Whelan, and Mayor Greg Parker. Not in attendance was alderwoman Kala Sisco.
Alderwoman Dent asked public works director Steve Paine, regarding all the questions and complaints surrounding water meters, if it would be possible to have a meeting with Neptune and Nexgrid. Both city administrator Sally Burbridge and Paine stated they have been working hard, with repeated attempts at contact, to get the two companies to come to a meeting for quite a while, with no luck. Both reported a frustrating struggle.
“I understand your frustration, I really do,” said Dent. “But I think that our citizens are frustrated, too, and they deserve some kind of answer from these people.”
Paine promised to keep trying to get the companies to come to the table. He reported that the previous administration selected a company that had no foothold in Missouri, and that he was confused as to how the prior administration found Nexgrid to begin with.
“I have been actively trying to get these entities to the table since we hired Steve,” assured city administrator Burbridge to Dent.
Dent insisted that some kind of action needs to be taken as soon as possible to take care of the problem. Paine agreed, with a mention of getting lawyers involved to resolve the issue.
Both Lisa French and Steve Evvrart, citizens, commented they have also been making repeated attempts at getting a hold of the companies Nexgrid and Neptune. French vented her frustration that the board was continuing to purchase modules from the company despite the company’s reputation.
Evvrart stated he spoke with Schulte, distributers of the Neptune meters. Schulte, reported Evvrart, said Neptune would only come to the table if Nexgrid made an appearance.
For board appointments, Parker made the recommendation of Chris Holliday to serve on the airport board, and the appointment passed, 3-0.
Bids
Primary wire bid approval
Josh Kotschedoff, Electric department supervisor, requested bids for underground primary wire, which comes in spools of 2,000-2,500 feet. Public works director Steve Paine was there on Kotschedoff’s behalf to address the alderman, as Kotschedoff was out of town that night.
The electric department needs one spool of primary wire to restock its supply—to prepare for replacements due to age, damage, or new construction. As noted within the staff summary, the cost was $6.00 per foot, but that price is only guaranteed for one to three days, said Paine.
Like the previous Alderman meeting’s bids from the electric department, Kotschedoff is requesting approval for a “not to exceed” amount, due to rapid pricing fluctuations.
The amount Kotschedoff requested not to exceed was $15,000 in total cost.
Mayor Parker stated it was not a bad idea to have the wire in stock, as he recounted a time or two in which it was out of stock when it was desperately needed.
The motion to accept the “not to exceed” amount passed, 3-0.
HVAC system for animal pound bid approval
The current heating and cooling system at the animal pound are inadequate and in urgent need of replacement. The heating system is operational but inefficient; additionally, the air conditioning unit is completely non-functional. A replacement was requested by Police Chief Joe Chase.
The bid request was resubmitted due to questions on warranty information from the alderman. Three bids were received: Salem Heating and Cooling, Hartley’s Climate Control, LLC, and 5G Services.
The bid from 5G Services was the lowest, but its product and warranty offered less comprehensive coverage, said Chase. Specifically, 5G Services proposed a 3-ton unit with a 5-year manufacturer parts warranty, a 10-year compressor warranty, and only a 1-year labor warranty.
The recommended bid was from Salem Heating and Cooling, which includes a 10-year warranty on all parts and a 2-year labor warranty. Despite not being the lowest bid, Salem Heating and Cooling’s bid provides significantly better long-term value, said the staff summary. The bid is $7,850.00.
There is $5,000.00 remaining in Capital Improvement’s budget for animal pound improvements. Approval of Salem Heating and Cooling’s bid will require a budget adjustment of $2,850.00.
The motion to accept the bid from Salem Heating and Cooling passed, 3-0.
Salem municipal pool liner bid approval
The Alice Lou Craig Municipal Swimming Pool suffered significant hailstorm damage to its pool liner on April 18. A request for bids was issued May 15 to address the replacement of the pool liner.
Melissa DuBois, parks and recreation director, recommended the approval of Westport Pool’s bid, due to it being a reputable company, for its bid in the amount of $138,986.00 for labor and materials to remove and replace the PVC membrane system.
Only one bid was received, from Westport Pools, despite the request for bids being released through multiple channels—including the salemmo.com website, The Salem News, and direct notifications to five companies affiliated with the Missouri Parks and Recreation Association.
The hail damage will fall under insurance coverage. The city-wide deductible is $50,000. The city is currently working with an adjuster to assess all city properties.
City administrator Sally Burbridge reported that insurance adjustors came the previous week and went through all city buildings, playgrounds at the park, and all city facilities. The city is still waiting for the detailed report of the assessor. Two crew members were in Salem going through all facilities for three days.
DuBois believes Parks and Recreation will be responsible for a portion of the $50,000. The final number has yet to be determined.
Whelan asked if there was a specific time in which would be best to install the new liner. DuBois had not yet received that information. Whelan also asked if they would be available to install the liner in July—DuBois reported that information is not known until a contract is signed.
The motion to accept the bid from Westport Pools was accepted, 3-0.
TAP downtown project bid approval
Bolerjack reported that MoDOT is doing their due diligence to ensure the bids for the TAP downtown project submitted will meet the criteria of the TAP grant. With that being said, Bolerjack moved to postpone the award of a bid for the project to a future meeting after MoDOT’s review. The postponement passed, 3-0.
Resolution No. 13-2024
Phase 2B of the Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) Improvements mandated by MDNR had an original cost of roughly $4.5 million. With the Sewer Bond approved by voters in April 2023, the city became eligible for additional grant funding through the State Revolving Fund (SRF).
The original approximate cost of $4.5 million for phase 2B will be brought down to $2 million by the SRF grant.
Approving Resolution No. 13-2024 will approve the funding application for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which will go toward the WWTF and its phase 2B improvements. The grant application will be prepared by MRPC.
With the CDBG, the remaining $2.5 million will be brought down another $750,000, leaving the remaining approximate amount of $1,750,000 to finance through the sewer bond. The resolution passed, 3-0.
Resolution No. 14-2024
The resolution will authorize renewal of health insurance from United Healthcare for city employees. After supervisors with each department, along with an Accusure representative, met to discuss proposed plans, it was decided to offer both Choice and Core options to employees, with a payroll deduction of $14.28 per week for Choice and $2.76 per week for Core.
The city contributes $550 per month toward each employee’s health insurance – in total, the city cost will be $356,400. The resolution passed, 3-0.
Resolution No. 15-2024
The resolution will authorize an agreement between the city and Westport Pools for labor and materials to remove and replace the PVC membrane system for the city swimming pool. The resolution passed, 3-0.
With the Fourth of July falling on a Thursday this year, it was determined that one holiday during
the fiscal year could be traded for July 5. To determine the employees’ preference, a text blast
was sent to all employees requesting their vote on which holiday they would prefer to trade.
The majority of employees voted in favor of trading Columbus Day for July 5. The holiday trade passed, 3-0.
Leak Protection Program Policy
The ServLine Leak Protection Program was first approved by the utility committee in December 2023. It was then approved by the Board of Aldermen to go with the $2,500 per occurrence coverage at a rate of $2.35 per month added on to each customer’s utility bill. The program has been approved, but not yet the policy. Burbridge reported it was an oversight as many meetings were postponed due to weather during the month of January, when the policy should have gone before the board for approval.
While the utility committee separately reviewed the Leak Protection Program Policy, it has not been adopted by the alderman.
Parker asked if there will be bill forgiveness for the program. Burbridge answered that there will not be, but that when a customer brings in proof that a leak is fixed, such as an invoice from a plumber or receipts for the parts, the sewer charges will be adjusted down to the average for the home. The water leak will not be adjusted, however.
Parker stated that many elderly members of the community are confused and frustrated about the program, due to the automatic opt-in. Parker requested that future boards be more considerate in their decision making when adding on programs—that they should consider public hearings, meetings, or more advertisements to give the public a chance to weigh in on the conversation. Although Parker thinks the program is a great idea, he stated that many with fixed incomes might consider the program more harmful than good.
Dent admitted as the chairman of the utility committee that the decision to pursue the leak protection program wasn’t considered as much as it should have been. She stated she believed the program isn’t something the city should do right now, as there is a lot of controversy surrounding it.
“The utility committee probably will revisit this,” said Dent.
Burbridge reminded the board there is already a contract with the company. Parker also reminded the board that it had already approved the program in March, and that tonight’s vote is only on the policy.
Catharina Pot, a member of the utility committee, spoke up about the program. She claimed the company does not have a good rating amongst customer service, and that the company has a lot of lawsuits.
“I, as a utility committee member, will be opting out of this program,” said Pot.
Alderman Bolerjack moved to table the policy for the next meeting. Dent seconded the motion. Bolerjack and Dent voted yes, and Whelan voted no. The policy was ultimately tabled.
IntelaMeter-Zigbee Water Communication Modules Purchase
Several modules (antennas) that attach to the water meters are no longer working and need to be replaced—and several are needed to be on hand for when other modules stop working. The modules are specific to working with Nexgrid Software.
Stacey Houston, who made the request for the modules, stated she reached out to Nexgrid for information on the 10-year prorated warranty on the current modules. She stated she is still waiting for a reply. A total of 154 water meter modules are needed. The cost will be $20,754.58, out of existing COP funds. The motion was approved, 3-0.
In public comments, Lisa French addressed her question toward Dent, as the chairwoman of the utility committee. French stated that a notice for opt-out form was developed by the concerned citizens for Salem for the leak protection program, in order to have a written form on record. She said this is due to the city’s history with billing. She said when they attempted to give the forms to the front-desk at the city office, the staff could not accept the forms. She asked Dent why that would be. Dent answered that she did not know.
City administrator Burbridge reported, in response to a request from Bolerjack, that the city hall’s insurance adjustor has sent the city a list of questions that have been answered, along with documentation. The city is currently working on the next round of questions for the adjustor.
Mayor Greg Parker reported:
• Dent County Toy Drive is now accepting vendors for its Christmas in July event, July 27 at the Dent County Commons. Call 573-247-2216 for more information or to sign up.
• Parker encourages everyone in Salem to receive their utility bill via email. Email utilities@salemmo.com with the subject line “email my utility bill” to sign up. The community can also give their email address to one of the clerks next time they’re in the office if they would prefer to sign up in person.
• Parker stated a couple of people reached out to him regarding the upcoming Fourth of July parade—he requested anyone with a business or home near the parade that is willing to offer handicap parking space reach out to him, as one of the people has no legs and would like to see the parade.
Public Works Director Steve Paine reported
• Wastewater treatment’s new hire and water department’s new hire are working well; he reports they’re energetic and excited to be a part of the Salem team.
• The next two fire hydrant replacements have been mapped out, but unfortunately four water service line repairs took precedence.
• Street department replaced streetlamps around the library on Fourth Street, after a complaint to the mayor that lights were out. LEDs have been done through the section.
• Another streetlight was replaced off Third Street.
• Fixes and troubleshooting was done through the AMI systems on poles, following hail damage.
• The two insurance adjusters that were down were incredibly thorough, said Paine, and will be giving an extensive report.
• Meter repair replacements were done, locates, and curb gutters cleaned with the vacuum-truck.
• With the forecast predicting a dry spell, Paine hopes that crews will be able to make gains on the cemetery, in terms of lawn maintenance.
• Paine stated that to the general public and the untrained eye, there may seem to be seven people just standing around watching with one person in the hole doing all the work. This is not the case, he assured. Paine is a supervisor who has much to learn; one is a water superintendent, coaching and mentoring with over 27 years of service to offer; three laborers are learning the process of service line repairs; and then two are heavy equipment operators. There’s a lot of coaching, mentoring, and training being done to ensure the Salem team is the best it can be in the coming years, assured Paine.
Parks and recreation director DuBois thanked the board for passing the no smoking policy. Signs are now up at the park; however, she stated there is now an issue of marijuana in the parks. When that type of odor is detected, Chief Chase is reached out to for investigation.
In alderwoman Dent’s report, she noted that Dr. J.J. Tune, a mayor that served from 2014-2018 in Salem, passed away June 6 at the age of 75-years-old. Dent sent an email when Tune passed to the alderman and city administrator, asking what was to be done to honor Tune.
A proclamation was supposed to have been made, but the city clerk was in physical therapy at the time, as mandated three times a week following her medical leave. Dent stated that Tune’s family is owed an apology. City clerk Tammy Koller apologized and took full responsibility.
Alderman Bolerjack reported that Love Thy Neighbor had 24 projects and over a hundred volunteers that helped at its most recent get-together.
“Different churches coming together and neighbors helping neighbors with deck projects, roofs, and yard work—it’s really amazing to see everyone come together and help one another,” said Bolerjack. “I just wanted to express my gratitude to everyone involved in Love Thy Neighbor.”
For more information on Love Thy Neighbor, including how to apply for future projects or to become a volunteer, Bolerjack recommended visiting their website at ltndent.com.
Alderman Whelan added, “What impressed me so much is the volume and the effort that they did with the spirit of cooperation, and that just gave me confirmation that there’s nothing in the City of Salem that we can’t correct, fix, or improve if we can first have a spirit of cooperation and respect among all parties.”
