CITY OF LENOX

A regular meeting of the Lenox City Council was called to order by Mayor Douglas on April 26, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall with the following council members answering roll call: Bowman, Brown, Tull, Zabel and Cruz. Staff present was City Clerk, Dawne Bowman and City Administrator, Allison Kitzman; Colleen Larimer was also present.

Bowman made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Brown, all ayes, motion carried. Brown made a motion to approve 04/12/21 meeting minutes, seconded by Cruz, all ayes, motion carried. Tull made a motion to approve the payment of bills, seconded by Brown, all ayes, motion carried.

A discussion was held on the Sesquicentennial committees, activities and funding. Kitzman contacted other cities and received a variety of options. It was decided that there will be a main committee and Dawne Bowman will be on the committee representing the City. There will then be sub- committees that will be in charge of different events/activities. It was decided that any city funding will be decided after the activities have been planned.

Kitzman updated the council on the library repairs. The basement windows will be removed and filled with masonry. The bump out now has to be removed. The original plans showed that the floor of the bump out was concrete but once the contractors started demoing, it was found that the floor was made of wood. Because of this, it was decided that we needed to remove the bump out in its entirety. It was also decided that public works will tear out and replace the sidewalk around the portion of the building that is being repaired. The contractors are working on getting a quote on putting EIFS on the east side of building surrounding the main door to match the new construction. The council is in agreement to expose the tin ceiling if possible. Kitzman also discussed lead paint and asbestos testing. Zabel added that the Fire Department has done asbestos testing in the past, and could possibly do it cheaper than the contractors.

Bowman made a motion to approve Shive- Hattery amended agreement to remove the bump out and adding EIFS to east side, seconded by Brown, all ayes, motion carried.

Brown approved Shive- Hattery asbestos and lead testing service agreement for $2,000 seconded by Tull, all ayes, motion carried. This will be pending contacting the fire department to verify if they conduct asbestos testing.

Kitzman discussed the tennis court project. Pro Track and Tennis has quoted a price of approximately $47,000 for a full basketball court, 2 pickleball courts, 2 4 square and 2 shuffleboards. There is currently a pending donation to the project of $50,000. Kitzman discussed purchasing portable nets for pickle ball, benches and possibly lighting for the court, which could bring the cost up to around $60,000. There was a discussion on the colors of the court. It was the consensus of the council to find colors that are bright and inviting to the public. Brown made a motion to approve tennis court project pending the donation of $50,000, seconded by Cruz, all ayes, motion carried.

Tull made a motion to move the mural to the library, rather than on the Fitness Center, seconded by Brown, all ayes, motion carried.

Brown left the meeting at 6:20 PM.

Kitzman discussed the walking trail project and the cost of $1.4 million to complete the new walking trail and re - surface the existing walking trail behind the fire station. The IADOT Covid - 19 Relief Recreational Trail Program will fund up to $1.25 million dollars. The Lenox School has offered a donation of $10,000 to the project. Zabel asked where the funding would come from, as the price of the trail could increase by the time we take it out to bids. Kitzman discussed possibly using LOST funds or the general account (Walking Trail) budget. Kitzman added that due to the total cost of the project, it was decided to not re - surface the existing trail. If the re - surfacing is not included in the project, it is estimated to cost $1.32 million. Mayor commented that the school may not be aware of this, as this was one of the reasons for their donation. Zabel was concerned that this project is so preliminary that she does not want the City to be responsible if the actual project is higher than expected. Kitzman explained that the reason for approving this resolution is to set the contribution amount to the project so the City would not be liable for anything over that amount. Zabel made a motion to approve Resolution 21- 16 Endorsement for Pedestrian Trail in the amount of $30,000, seconded by Bowman, all ayes, motion carried.

A discussion was held on the need for more cart sheds at the golf course. Drew Thompson presented Kitzman with a quote of $11,500 for a lean to shed to be added, adding 12 more stalls. Kitzman mentioned to the council that Grass Roots funds could be used on this; however, it would not leave them much in that account, so the Golf Board was asking if the City would assist on this. Kitzman explained to the council that the golf continues to operate at a loss each year and the City still needs to maintain the broken doors on stalls, fix the leaks and any other issues with the current stalls; however, she agrees more stall are needed. There was a discussion on stalls being owned by golfers, the city maintaining them and the process if the owner no longer wants to be a golf member. Kitzman explained that if the City contributed to the project, then we would recover the yearly rental fee of $100 per stall. Bowman asked if the contractor for building the new shed could be hired to fix some of the issues with the other sheds. Bowman made a motion to approve the payment of $5,750 to Menno Bontrager for a lean to building for cart sheds, seconded by Tull, all ayes, motion carried.

Zabel made a motion to approve Casey's General Store Cigarette/Tobacco/Nicotine/Vapor Permit, seconded by Tull, all ayes, motion carried.

There was a discussion held on investing CD's, as Zabel is concerned with borrowing at a higher interest rate for library repairs, rather than using the Main Street Development and the City Buildings CD's we currently have. Kitzman explained that those could still be used even if they were invested for another 12 months. Bowman approved Resolution 21- 15 ISSB Investment CD's Renewal for 12 months at 20%, seconded by Tull, all ayes, motion carried.

Bowman approved Special Events Permit for fireworks for Liz Jessen, seconded by Tull, all ayes, motion carried.

There was no appointment to the library board liaison, as the Mayor has decided she will attend the meetings for the time being.

Tull moved to adjourn the meeting, Cruz seconded, all ayes, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:57 P.M.