LINN  —  Linn Aldermen had their first look at preliminary designs for how the sewer lines will run for the Lee Mar Hills Regionalization Project at their meeting on Tuesday, June 18. Alderman Bill Turner asked when the board planned to meet with property owners to discuss easements.

“Since this is the first time I’ve seen it, I’m not sure, but of course, we will be in touch with the property owners,” said Mayor Dwight Massey, who plans to meet with the property owners individually to discuss any concerns that they may have.

Once the aldermen and the property owners approve the preliminary design, the environmental study will follow. Bartlett & West warned aldermen that this stage could take a long time to complete.

Project Manager Hope Drennan will work with aldermen to secure easements and signed service agreements from all affected property owners. For the project to remain on schedule, the service agreements need to be signed by Oct. 23.

The Jaegers Wastewater Regionalization Project has been finalized with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Brulez Trenching is waiting for optimal weather to complete ground restoration. They are coordinating with the property owners who have concerns and requests for restoration.

In other business, aldermen approved Bill #2018-021, naming Judith Anne Willis as the new City Attorney. She has served in an interim capacity since who has been serving as the interim since long-time City Attorney Kent Brown resigned.

Willis, who took over the position immediately, noted that while she has been in touch with Brown to discuss legal issues that the city is facing, she has been reluctant to move forward with anything until she was officially under contract.

• Resident Jerry Williams has become a regular attendee at monthly meetings, and he was back again to complain about the trash littering his yard and the ditch bordering his property.

“I took pictures of all of the trash in the ditch and around the dumpster,” Williams said. “These were taken last week, and I wanted to show you what I have been dealing with. I don’t know what can be done about the trash.”

“I’ve done everything I can think to do, and it has obviously not done any good,” Massey said.

Linn Police Chief Sam Ford asked Williams if people who are not residents of the apartments may be dumping trash illegally in the dumpsters.

Williams thought that could be part of the problem.

“Is there any chance the apartments get a bigger dumpster?” Ford asked.

City Clerk Carrie Grellner said that she couldn’t get anyone to respond to her about the trash issue. She suggested that Ford might have better luck getting a reply.

“I would be happy to call them and see what can be done,” Ford said. “If I find someone illegally dumping trash or putting trash on the ground, I can do something about it.”

Ford said that he would try to contact the owners of the apartments and see if something could be done differently.

“Everything I have tried to do just doesn’t seem to work,” Williams said. “That trash is going to get in the waterway once (Linn Utilities Worker Aleks Rowinski) gets that ditch fixed. It just gets frustrating having to clean up other people’s stuff.”

Mayor Massey agreed.

“It’s going to get in the creek and be in Maguire Park,” Massey said. “It doesn’t go away because it goes somewhere else.”

• Resident Lauren Lansford, who has also been at several meetings to discuss issues with the city, was not on the agenda for the meeting but sat through most of the meeting before getting up and walking out of City Hall, only to return later when guests were allowed to address the board.

“You are a flake!” Lansford declared.

Massey responded, “Thank you,” and then asked if she was referring to him, but Lansford had already stormed out of City Hall.

No one was sure to what or to whom she was referring.

• Aldermen agreed to purchase fire extinguishers for the police department, city utilities department, City Hall, and the Linn License Fee Office at Chief Ford’s request.

Ford said he noticed one day that there weren’t any fire extinguishers anywhere and that the one in City Hall had been inspected last in 2003.

“It really bothered me they weren’t available,” he said.

Ford noted that Korsmeyer Fire Protection would provide fire extinguishers for the city for every police vehicle and one in the bay for $485. They would provide one for each public works building and each vehicle for $1,085 and an additional $185 for a fire extinguisher in City Hall and the License Fee Office.

Korsmeyer Fire Protection will inspect the extinguishers on a yearly basis for $10 per extinguisher.

• Ford reported that radios have been installed in the police vehicles, and training has been completed. The system is activated on the police end, but there seems to be a problem for dispatch. Ford has been talking to 911 Director Ron Hoffman about the issue and he is getting it fixed on his end.

Ford reported that the new Omnigo reporting system has been well received by his officers.

“I’m seeing an increase in the number of reports the guys are writing,” said Ford, adding he suspects they were avoiding writing some reports because the old system was so difficult to navigate. “All of my guys have embraced it, and I think it is going to be a huge improvement over what we had before.”

The department will undergo “A Safer Home Training for Officers” next week, which deals with suicide training. The training will be mandatory for all officers.

An officer has completed School Resource Officer Certification Training. Ford plans to offer services to both St. George Catholic School and the State Technical College. Unfortunately, the Linn R-2 School District is outside of city limits.

• The City Park Board has hired someone to cut the grass and weed-eat. The Park Board is trying to tackle the weeds along the walking trail, in the infields of the baseball fields, and in the flowerbeds. They plan to give the benches and trash can lids a new coat of paint at Maguire Park. They also plan to add additional gravel to the walking trails and cut the tree branches at least six feet high for easier walking and grass-cutting.

Massey noted that he is working with other volunteers to stake out the new playground so that they can pour the concrete. He will let everyone know when he has a date to pour the concrete and enlist volunteers to help.

• Rowinski has been working with the crew to fill as many potholes as possible. They have also had problems with sewer lines. “We are just trying to get as much done as we can,” he said. “We just keep plodding away, trying to get as many potholes as we can patched.”

Rowinski noted that some illnesses and other issues have kept the department short-staffed, but they continue to do the best they can.

They planned to start digging out the ditch near William’s property last week.

Rowinski noted that the city’s system has had some false alarms for chlorine but believes it’s a sensor problem. Crew members will start cleaning the sensors more frequently than recommended.

Everyone thanked Massey for working to get control of the brush pile at Maguire Park.

• State Tech expected 250 alumni to attend the first annual State Tech Alumni Day on June 20.

• Aldermen agreed to put an advertisement in the Unterrified Democrat for the Osage County Fair, which they do every year. The cost of the ad is $310, and Grellner will update names and pictures.

• City Hall will be closed on July 4th to celebrate Independence Day, and the Linn License Fee Office will be closed from July 4 to 6.

• Aldermen approved outstanding bills for $177,609.51.

• Linn had the following ending account balances in their governmental fund accounts: general ($807,348.57), pool (-$4,905.80), park ($113,348.60), police training ($1,328.66), park-improvement and equipment (-$451,942.35), and pool-improvement and equipment ($1,948.24).

• The city had the following ending account balances in their business-type funds: water ($479,739.66), water replacement ($101,688.36), sewer ($396,775.83), sewer replacement ($47,454.81), and grants (-$107,674.74).

• Linn holds nine certificates of deposit totaling $1,316,521.86.

• The city will hold its next regular meeting on July 16 at 5 p.m.