KINGWOOD – Kingwood City Council received two sealed bids for the demolition of a downtown building and is continuing to work to have another repairs.
Council accepted the $24,908 bid from Digger Construction of Kingwood Tuesday to take down 146 S. Price St. Scott Enterprises of Reedsville submitted a $47,685 bid.
In the matter of another downtown building, council voted to invite the owner of the Herring Building come to its Dec. 7 meeting to discuss further repairs. Mayor Jean-Manuel Guillot said they could then ask the owner for a time line for further repairs.
He said the owner has completed some repairs but not to the extent the sidewalk along W.Va. 7 (Main Street) can be opened. The sidewalk was closed more than a year ago because of stone falling from the building.
“It would help if they resealed the top,” Councilman Michael Lipscomb said. A metal fire escape on the side of the building is also in need of repair, council said.
Kingwood could be getting new accounting, billing and payroll systems in the near future.. City Clerk Mary Howell told council the AccuFund system would cost about $55,000, with the city paying about $16,000, the water board paying $16,487 and the sewer board, $13,000. She said if Kingwood Parks and Recreation wants to be included in the purchase its share would be about $8,300.
Howell said the system would provide options the current one does not offer. She said AccuFund would allow the city to print business licenses and tickets, as well as do payroll. Howell said the system would also allow workers to accept payments by credit card.
She said the current system used by the city is extremely outdated. “It would cost about $50,000 to upgrade the current system,” she said. “There are only two service people in the country that still works on our current system. We would have to pay for their expenses. You are looking at upward to $90,000.”
Howell said she will get information about one other system. “That will give you three options,” she said.
Russell Calvert asked council about a FOIA request he sent to the city, asking who owns the property the city is using from Wellsley to Pritt Street. He said the city has used the property for 30 years. Calvert said the city plows the road to the sewer station at the end of the road but does not repair it.
Guillot said city attorney Christopher Miller indicated the FOIA was not proper and council did not have to answer it. “I will find out something for you by the next meeting,” he said.
The second reading of ordinances to change city elections to the same year as county ones and adopt a municipal sales tax will be held at the Nov. 27 meeting.
Council members said they were waiting for Miller to get back to get back to them about storm water and right of way issues, the sidewalk ordinance, the fencing ordinance being added to the zoning ordinance and the ordinance of reorganization. The items were tabled until the next meeting.
“He [Miller] never answers our calls,” Guillot said. Lipscomb said Miller didn’t return his call either. Miller did not respond to a request for comment in time for this report.
