LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday the Lakeport City Council heard about plans for a city-sponsored Halloween coloring contest for children, and approved a new city purchasing system and the purchase of a sewer combination cleaning vehicle for the Public Works Department.
City Finance Director Dan Buffalo gave the council the report on city staff's proposal for the new Halloween coloring contest for local children.
The idea behind the contest is to raise awareness among elementary school children about the dangers of drugs. Buffalo said a committee is being formed to organize the event, with staff requesting two council members act as judges.
The contest will be for kindergartners through third graders. Buffalo said with the older students may also be asked to write short essays.
The students' work will be featured at city hall, where the winning entries will be unveiled on Halloween. Buffalo said Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen is working on coming up with prizes, adding that the contest is still in the preliminary planning stages.
City staff said part of the initial plans include inviting children to stop by for candy at city hall on Halloween.
Mayor Kenny Parlet said he liked the idea, and he also would like to see similar contests done at other parts of the year regarding safety topics, like wearing light colors at night.
In other news, the council quickly and unanimously approved an ordinance establishing a new city purchasing system that it had discussed at two previous meetings.
At its Sept. 2 meeting, the council had directed City Attorney David Ruderman to increase the proposed ordinance's local vendor preference from 5 percent to 10 percent, which he did.
With that change completed, the council held the brief hearing at the Tuesday night meeting and approved the ordinance.
Also on Tuesday, the council unanimously approved purchasing a sewer combination cleaner for the Public Works Department, at a cost not to exceed $382,946.40.
Public Works Director Mark Brannigan told the council that the Aquatech Combination Cleaner is a commercial grade vehicle that has a vacuum and a high pressure nozzle, with different attachments for different uses.
He said it has a variety of uses, from cleaning storm drains to digging operations, and will be used on an almost daily basis.
The equipment will be used to help keep the city's 149,000 feet – which works out to 28 miles – of aging sewer pipe working at full capacity, Brannigan said.
Brannigan estimated the city should get 20 years out of the cleaner.
The city currently has a similar piece of equipment dubbed the “camel,” he said, which was purchased used 14 years ago. At the time the city bought the camel, it already was 15 years old. That aging equipment now is becoming difficult to maintain.
“We got out money's worth,” said Councilman Tom Engstrom.
Mayor Pro Tem Martin Scheel asked if the city can maintain the new equipment. Brannigan said it has a warranty and, after that, the city's staff can do general maintenance, while some of the machinery's more complex parts may need to be sent to the manufacturer for repair if issues arise.
Scheel also asked about the potential of leasing the cleaner, which Brannigan replied had been discussed early in the budgeting process.
Buffalo told the council that leasing is “a more expensive financing option” for the city.
Parlet said that the equipment – which he said penciled out to a cost of $53 a day to the city – is a good bargain for what it does.
“Has this been on your wish list awhile?” Parlet asked Brannigan.
“It has,” Brannigan said.
“For 14 years,” added Engstrom.
Councilwoman Stacey Mattina moved to approve the purchase, with Councilman Marc Spillman seconding the motion. The council approved the purchase 5-0.
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