Weekly News – Rain, GIP, Busy Crews

The rain continues to come which is indeed great for our agriculture, but please be patient with the City as rain does increase and bog our work down.  The Street Project has been delayed several days due to the rain.  The contractors are at key points in connecting the storm water lines and if not done in dry conditions, it could undermine the underlying foundations.  So until a few dry days come back to back, the work will continue to be slow.

The sewer contractors finished their work Friday, May 15th but there are still a number of manholes that need to be raised by the City crew.  These manholes had previously been buried beneath inches (and in some instances feet) of dirt or asphalt.  The crews will install collar risers to raise the lids.  But due to the rainy conditions, the crews are busy trying to keep up with much needed (and required) mowing at the lagoon, airport, lake, and around town.  In addition, the rain has deteriorated several heavily used alleys.  The city crew is attempting to get to these as well.

The crews are also hard at work installing new padmount transformers at the power plant to maintain low voltage power in the building and keep the work flowing to the next phase of construction with the electric contractors.  The power plant project continues to hum along and take shape.

In addition to the needed power plant work, the City crew is also making immediate plans to replace a couple broken valves just east of Main Street along Highway Street.  Before the contractors can begin working on the water mains under Main Street, the City crew will need to successfully shut the water off to these lines which will require a couple of days of valve replacements.

All in all, it’s a very busy time for the much stretched city crew.  The City has reached out to a couple of communities for assistance, but they are busy as well with their own projects.  So please be patient with the City as this is a very busy time.

For anyone interested in the City Administrator position, an advertisement has been listed on the League of Kansas Municipalities website: http://www.lkm.org/classifieds/jobs/.  Please pass the word along to anyone qualified who is interested.

Weekly News – Projects, Memorial Weekend, and Garage Sale

The Street Project continues through its Water and Storm Water phase.  Recent rain has slowed the project down, but otherwise there are no major issues.  The contractors are currently placing new storm water lines in the ground and will continue next to the water lines.  Those whose water comes from Main Street will have intermittent water outages but these will be kept minimal.

The Power Plant project continues in the installation phase.  Nothing new to update at this time.

The Sewer Line cleaning project is wrapping up this week.  A few trouble spots were identified as needing to be addressed in the near future, but by in large the City sewers west of Main Street are working well.  East side of Main Street will be cleaned in 2016.

Memorial Weekend is coming up quickly and there is a whole host of activities scheduled.  There will be a 5K glow run, parade, and potluck and Street Dance.  Please see the City Office for more details and come join the fun!

A City Wide garage sale is scheduled for May 30th.  For details see Lea Ann Seiler.

Please remember that if you have any concerns or questions regarding any of the projects in town, please direct them to the Mayor, City Administrator, our a Council member.

Weekly News – Brick, Sewer Cleaning, and Resignation

The new City Council took office Thursday, May 7th.  The meeting went very well and the council would like to encourage anyone and everyone to come to the meetings and participate.

For anyone wishing to have some bricks from the Street Project, the City Council is offering the brick located at the City workshop for free.  We are not offering large amounts of brick to any one person, so if you are wishing for large quantities, please speak with the City Office first.  The City will not be available to load or deliver brick, so you must help yourself.  We are also not offering brick to any non-Hodgeman County residents until after August 1st.  Therefore if you are a current resident, prior resident, or a direct relative, you may have access now.

The City Administrator Grayson Path announced his resignation Thursday night.  His last working day will be June 5th.  He has taken the City Administrator position of Nebraska City, NE.  He would like to express his sincere gratitude to the citizens of Jetmore for welcoming and working with him these past two years.

The stormwater and water portions of the street project have begun.  Citizens will be able to observe the laying of new piping as they drive or walk by.  Both this project and the power project are continuing to move forward.

Over the next couple of weeks, the City has contracted with Utility Maintenance Contractors to clean out the sewer lines west of Main Street.  Those living in this area will have received orange sticky notes on their doors (or soon will) telling them what to do to prepare.  Due to the process we are unable to give an exact day for each block as there are too many factors involved, so please be watching for these crews as they come closer to your home or call the City office.  They will be starting in the Cheyenne Development and working their way toward the Power Plant – Main Street and Park Street.

Weekly News – GIP, Audit, and Sewer Cleaning

The City of Jetmore Geometric Improvement Project continues to proceed along.  The Stormwater and Water Main replacement phase is set to begin and is scheduled to last 20 working days in total.  Please continue to be careful as you drive through the construction zone on Main Street.

The City Office has fielded many questions regarding the brick being removed from the project.  While a portion of the brick has been given to the county, the other portion is still up for decision by the City Council.  Of this portion, some have been dedicated to the City Park and some to the Lions Club.  But the remainder will be decided upon in the May 7th Council Meeting.  If you are wanting brick, please let the City Office know.

The City just completed its 2014 financial audit.  The auditors conducted an exit interview with the City staff on May 1st and the City is happy to say that no major issues exist.  The final edition of the audit will be presented by the auditors to the City Council in the June council meeting, after which it will be available for the public to view.

For everyone living west of Main Street, please be advised the sewer line cleaning is slated to begin May 11th.  It has been long awaiting, but we are hopeful it will start for sure that week.  You will receive an orange sticky note on your door letting you know what you need to do to be ready.  Please follow the instruction on these notes.  If you have questions, please contact the City Office.