Wednesday, March 19, 2008

APAS donates equipment to shelter

Temporary manager suggests concrete floors be sealed

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

The Animal Protective Association of Socorro has donated its animal shelter equipment to the City of Socorro, and the mayor expressed hope the group's members would volunteer at the shelter.

At Monday's City Council meeting in City Hall, association President Lisa Foley said the group wanted to donate the equipment already at the shelter so the facility could continue to run.

Mayor Ravi Bhasker said the ownership of the items had been in question.

"And it's really nice APAS is going to officially donate that, that way it can be under the umbrella of the city," he said.

City Clerk Pat Salome said new temporary shelter manager Jan Gribble has suggested that the city remove the cage and seal the shelter's concrete floor so parvovirus, a contagious and often-deadly canine disease that recently broke out at the facility, can't live in the cracks and crevices. The shelter is to receive the sealed floors, as well as a new air conditioner and water heater, and work on the sinks.

Salome also said he hopes former volunteer shelter manager Karen Kirkland will take a part-time position to help get the place running well again.

Bhasker said the city is in the process of getting manager and has committed to keeping someone in the position. The manager will handle administrative duties and interact with a volunteer group.

The volunteers won't be from APAS, but Bhasker said he hopes the members of that organization will participate.

"It will not run without volunteers," he said.

Bhasker and Councilor Gordy Hicks commended the association for their work.

In another matter, the council voted unanimously, with all members present, to award the contract for work on Fifth Street and Vigil Avenue to Star Paving Co. for about $298,600.

The total project with construction, engineering and materials testing is expected to cost around $373,000, and the city has $332,000 available from severance tax bonds, the state Department of Transportation and city matching funds. Bhasker said he thought the city has enough in cash reserves to cover the overrun.

Stephen Williams of Dennis Engineering Company recommended the city award an extra $41,000 to cover the overrun, plus $9,000 for unexpected needs. Budgeting for unplanned issues in advance would speed the work because workers could handle the issue without going to the council to get funds.

Finance Director Mable Gonzales said she would take the additional money out of the Repair and Replacement General Fund.

Williams said the original project was too big for the available funds.

Utilities Director Jay Santillanes said Tuesday that workers would reconstruct Fifth Street from the Vigil intersection to just north of Neal Street, an area adjacent to the senior housing facility. That place will get new pavement, curbs and gutters, as well as a holding pond for drainage on Neal, he said.

Also, the paving company is to do a reconstructive overlay on Fifth Street from the Otero Street intersection to the Vigil intersection, and on Vigil between Fifth and Sixth streets, Santillanes said.

Bhasker said he believes the city can get a pump for the holding pond, and he hopes to put in a sidewalk going toward, but not all the way to, Wal-Mart. He also said Star Paving tends to finish projects slowly.

Williams said the company has done a lot of projects for the city.

"Ultimately, I believe you get a pretty good project with Star Paving," he said. "It does go a little slow."

Williams and his colleagues went back to Star for clarification on how the project would stay on track and on schedule. Dennis Engineering employees had noticed a lack of supervisors for Star on previous projects.

Star committed to providing a supervisor for the Fifth Street work, and keeping the same one on the project for good communication.

After the approving vote, Salome said he would have a resolution for the council to vote on at the next meeting to approve either $41,000 or $50,000 added to the current money available for the project.

In other business: