Hopkins to seek bids on surplus items

Hopkins to seek bids on surplus items

The Hopkins City Council decided to seek bids on surplus equipment not used by the city at its October 2 meeting.

Surplus items include an old pick-up, John Deere mower, 1964 road grader and an International dump truck. All items are in need of repair. Sealed bids will be accepted up to a week before the Monday, November 13 city council meeting.

Two bids were given to repair the muffler on the city pick-up. Beemer Muffler, Maryville, bid $175 and, according to Alderman Alan Thompson, there was a comparable bid from Quality Auto and Truck Repair, Bedford, IA. The council decided to allow Chief Operator Jack Baldwin to make the decision on where to take the pick-up.

The ongoing replacement of street lights by KCP&L is still garnering citizen complaints. The city is telling citizens to contact the company. The city is going to ask that two lights not be reinstalled, one at the end of North Third Street, which according to the landowner is causing unwanted growth in his soybeans, and the other on McFarland by an abandoned house.

The city was notified that both the housing complex and city were paying the electric bill on two lights by the complex. The city will be reimbursed by KCP&L for its part of the double payment.

A dust control request on First Street will be fulfilled by the elevator at that location.

On the list of water and sewer delinquent accounts, the owner of the property at 108 South Highway 148 doesn’t believe his property has ever been connected to the sewer and therefore doesn’t owe the past due amount of $629.46. Baldwin is planning to run smoke tests and explore the situation.

Discussion was held on junk “demolition derby” cars parked on the streets and city right-aways. The aldermen will make a list of cars and addresses for the November meeting for possible letters to be sent.

A nuisance ordinance letter will be sent to Amber Liechti, 104 North Fourth Street, about loose trash that has accumulated in a wood Dumpster on her property. Porter Trash Service will only take bagged garbage from the Dumpster. Neighbor Teresa Forster, 102 North Fourth Street, wrote an official complaint about the smell, bugs and flies.

Discussion was held by the aldermen about what steps would need to be taken if Liechti doesn’t clean up the Dumpster.