City commissioners passed an ordinance at their regular meeting Wednesday night to issue debt for improvements to Fire Station 2.
The temporary notes of up to $505,000 will go to finance necessary repairs at the fire station in a project that has been in the works for over a year. The original estimate of $450,000 was increased because of the age of the estimate and because a study of the sub-base under the floor of the station and the east driveway shows more damage than was seen at first.
The city will pay off the notes in three years; money to pay the debt will come from the county-wide sales tax.
Commissioners also passed an ordinance levying sanitary and street improvement special assessments for the Greenwood Addition subdivision. Property owners in the subdivision signed waivers foregoing the public hearing process for the assessments.
The sanitary sewer project will cost $45,250 and the street improvement project will cost $199,500.
In other business, commissioners passed a resolution authorizing the public sale of the City of Emporia’s general obligation bonds, Series 2009, in the amount of $765,000. Projects included in the g.o. bond include the Greenwood street and sanitary sewer improvements, Cedar Bend street and sanitary sewer improvements and Sunflower Meadows street improvements.
Projects included in the Series 2009 temporary note issue include the Fire Station 2 repair project for $505,000, REG street improvements for $532,000 and REG water and sanitary sewer improvements for $135,000.
Mayor Jeff Longbine signed a proclamation declaring Aug. 4 as National Night Out in Emporia. That day is the 25th annual National Night Out, an event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch that focuses on crime and drug prevention. Neighborhood watch groups in Emporia will join others across the country to raise awareness of crime and drug prevention.
Commissioners also re-appointed two members to the Accessibility Advisory Board. Lennie Armstrong will be serving her second term on the board, and Liliana Heredia-Taylor will serve her first full 3-year term after having replaced Kayla Oney.