City of Mt. Vernon commits to $435K City Hall remodel, sale of 115 acres

The Mt. Vernon Board of Aldermen passed two ordinances at their Dec. 11 town meeting authorizing earlier agreed-upon contracts regarding the remodeling of city hall and the sale of 115 acres of city land.
The first ordinance authorized a contract between the city and Base Construction and Management, LLC, for the remodeling of the building at 109 N. Hickory. Under the contract, the city will pay Base Construction $435,000 for remodeling the building. Base Construction has until 150 calendar days from the notice to proceed to complete the work. Should the work not be completed on schedule, Base will pay the city $500 per day in liquid damages for each day the work remains incomplete.
The board voted to accept the bid from Base Construction during their meeting on Nov. 13, and amended the agreement on Nov. 27 to include an option for the purchase and installation of a bullet resistant glazing package.
The board also passed an ordinance authorizing the sale of 115 acres of city land located on Highway 39, just north of Highway 174, to Wilmoth Oil Company for $523,825. The board accepted a bid by Wilmoth to purchase the land during their meeting on Nov. 13. The board also approved a land survey for the property, at a cost of $3,500.
In other business, the board voted to hire Terry Moore as the new Planning and Zoning Administrator/Code Enforcement Officer on the recommendation of City Administrator Max Springer. He will replace outgoing Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Conway.
In other announcements…
During his report, Springer requested permission to purchase 10 bullet-proof vests for $6,599.90 with funds from the 2018 budget. The board originally planned the purchase with funds from the 2019 budget, but Springer told them that the purchase could be made out of the 2018 budget. The board approved this request.
Springer also requested permission to order SCADA equipment for Substation #3, for $50,201.35. The equipment will allow staff to read load for real-time data. Additionally, he requested a change to the proposed 2019 budget, which would increase it by $3,582. The board granted both requests.
In the Citizen Participation portion of the meeting, Jon Ford requested the board discuss preserving Gibbs Park by saving a part of the structure. The board discussed the request; no action was taken.
There was no town meeting on Dec. 25, as that falls on Christmas.