By Kellen Olshefski
SLN Staff
The City of Elkhorn is looking to make some improvements to the roof of the public works garage in hopes they can keep the building functional for the near future.
Concerns over holes in the valleys of the roof have been brought to the city previously, with former Public Works Manager Martin Nuss sending out for proposals to complete the work. Alderman Scott McClory described the concerns as serious, with water “cascading” over the garage’s electrical box.
“Cascading, not dripping,” McClory said.
At the City of Elkhorn Municipal Services and Utilities Aug. 8 meeting, Public Works Manager Neal Kolb presented several proposals to committee members for repair of the roof, all of which had been completed prior to his hiring in July.
Kolb said before presenting the committee with final proposals and because of the disparity in the proposals prepared prior to his employment, he was looking for some direction from the committee on how they would like him to proceed.
Kolb also noted with talks of the department being potentially relocated in the future, he wanted to know if he should look into roofing contractors Winston Salem that can offer temporary fixes or a full roof replacement.
Utilities Director John Murphy said either way, something needs to be done.
Not being involved with the process of the original proposals, Kolb said he’s sure he could go back to find out what it would cost for spot repairs on the building, more in line with the lowest proposal at $20,000.
Committee members requested Kolb gather more information and updated proposals to bring to the committee at a future meeting.
2016 fireworks display
In other business, the committee discussed this year’s Fourth of July fireworks display.
The city opted to go with J&M Displays for the fireworks display this year after disappointment with Bartolotta’s display in 2015.
Alderwoman Cathy Bensaid said Monday that from what she’s heard, community members enjoyed what they had, but felt it wasn’t enough.
“They were looking for more pizzazz at the end and longer fireworks,” she said. “I was there, I think they did a good job.”
One concern raised at the meeting by Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chris Clapper was that the show lacked a pause before the show’s grand finale. In previous years, she said the show has had the normal display and then a short, 2-minute or so pause before launching into the finale.
“Then you knew the grand finale was coming,” she said.
Overall though, Clapper said she was happy with the company and committee members agreed it was an improvement over last year’s display. Committee members also agreed a pause was something they could easily discuss with the company for next year’s show.
With $10,000 not going as far as it has in the past, committee members also discussed the possibility of reaching out to area businesses and the community to help contribute to future shows.
City Administrator Sam Tapson said businesses have contributed in the past, including local banks and Frank’s Piggly Wiggly. He said it’s certainly possible to generate a letter to area businesses to see if they’d be interested in contributing.
Clapper said with Fontana’s fireworks display, handled by the same company, Daniel’s Sentry in Walworth gives customers an opportunity to donate money towards the fireworks display each year.
“There’s multiple ways of doing it,” she said.
Murphy said at a recent display he attended volunteers even passed around a donation bucket to collect money for the next year’s fireworks show.
How or if the city will look to expand next year’s fireworks show has not been determined and Monday’s discussion was for informational purposes only.
