Pickering to repair some streets

At the July 1 Pickering City Council meeting, Mayor Charles Smith said Mid-America Road Builders, Platte City, had assured him the company will work with the city to use the city’s limited street fund resources.

Smith said Mid-America plans to be in the Pickering and Hopkins area in the next two weeks. The city currently has $14,139.03 in the street fund. The first estimate for street repairs was approximately $38,000. The aldermen estimate $5,000 to $7,000 from the city’s general fund can be added for the project.

Smith, along with City Clerk Milt Sovereign, visited the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments to inquire about grants which might be available for the street repairs.

If money becomes available through the Community Block Grant program, RCOG will help the council with the paperwork and survey needed to apply.

Smith and Sovereign are going to write a request for a Rickard Trust Grant for the trust’s October cycle. They are also going to explore other grants in the area.

Alderman Ramona Pennington, who is also on the Pickering Community Building Board, asked if the city could contact the city attorney, David Baird, about the legal standing of the building. KCP&L bills the electricity at commercial rates which is more than board can afford to pay.

Sovereign has been doing the sewer repairs, including pumps, since December 2018. In June, he replaced one pump and has two in his shop which need repairs.

He explained how he determines if the pumps need the bearings replaced. He replaces those in three out of five pumps he repairs. He had ordered $219 in parts from Haynes Equipment Company, Topeka, KS. This expense was approved.

The city had a past due amount with the attorney. Sovereign had inquired as to what the amount was for. Baird’s office explored and didn’t contact Sovereign back, so he is assuming it was a billing error.