Council amends bond ordinance
Covid-19 added to the delay of bids for the new swimming pool and caused the City of Hebron to amend an ordinance for the Issuance of General Obligation Swimming Pool Bonds for $2.5 million.
“We had initiated this to begin in 2020, and due to Covid and other reasons, we weren’t able to get our bid until last month, so we couldn’t settle it for 2020. We will run the bond to 2036 instead of 2035,” Mayor Doug Huber told those in attendance at the Hebron City Council Monday evening.
The city is hoping sales tax will offset the need for residents to pay more taxes in the future pertaining to the bonds.
Residents voted for a .5 raise in sales tax last year. The raise went into effect in July.
In the City Chat newsletter sent out monthly to residents with their electricity bills, the city jumped in sales tax from $18,571.16 in July of 2019 to $20,004.27 in July of 2020.
Sales tax has progressively increased since the latter half of 2020 compared to 2019. Last year’s November sales tax was $20,814.56. This year’s was $34,321.73 for November. Residents were reminded to shop local businesses by the city.
Carrothers Construction Company LLC out of Kansas received the bid for the new pool. Haddan Excavating is expected to begin deconstruction of the old pool this month.
Carrothers has a history of constructing new pools. The company completed its first pool in the 1930s, and deconstructed a pool it originally built.
Carrothers noted the company will push forward on the project for a May opening, however, weather and other factors prevent Carrothers from locking in a date the pool will be completed.
“We understand schedule is important. We’re going to do everything we can to get it done, but we will not compromise quality. We don’t want to have to come back and fix anything,” Fritz Casper, who is heading the project, said.
Currently, the pool will feature the following amenities:
•Zero-entry
•On-deck sprays
•Kiddie slide
•ADA lift
•In-pool bench
•Shallow water play structure
•Basketball goal
•Entry/exit stair in slide area
•Fiberglass water slide with separate plunge area
•One meter diving board
•Three meter diving board
The remodel of the existing bathhouse will feature the following:
•Men’s and women’s restrooms with showers
•ADA accessible
•New electrical, plumbing and ventilation
Pool Deck:
•Two 12-foot diameter shade umbrellas
•One 12-foot diameter shade umbrella in-pool
•Vinyl coated six-foot chain link fencing with mow strip.
In other business, the council is planning to seek bids on light poles at one of the ball fields. One light pole was damaged in a recent wind storm. The city did receive insurance money for the damaged light pole.
The lights at the field were installed in 1976, and next year, they will be obsolete as LED lights have become the standard.
The council will seek one bid for two light poles, and another for all the light poles at the field to see if there is a possibility for cost savings.
