Sunrise Lake phase two and land purchase remain hot topics at city council

The council chambers were nearly filled for the Monday, December 5 City Council meeting where the phase two project at Sunrise Lake and the recent land purchase by the city council remained the topics on the minds of the Council and citizens alike.

Cameron citizens and members of the Veteran’s Assistance League spoke up during the first public participation portion of the meeting to encourage the Council to reconsider having tabled the bill and to consider its passage.

Jim McKinley and Gary Summers appeared before the Council during the public participation portion of the meeting on behalf of the Veterans Assistance League to encourage the Council to pass the bill for Phase 2 at Sunrise Lake. Both spoke to how much the veterans enjoy being able to get out of the Veterans home and go fishing and enjoy nature. Each of them made an impassioned plea for the passage of the bill to “continue to provide quality of life to these veterans.”

Rotary Club member, David Harris andDrew Davis, property owner near Sunrise Lake also spoke in support of the project.

The first order of business in front of the Council regarding phase two at Sunrise Lake was to remove the bill from the status of being tabled, the vote went 3-2 with Eddins, Clark and Jack in favor and Breckenridge and Feighert opposed. The vote brought about the first reading for Bill 2016-54 to enter into a professional services agreement for design of a pedestrian bridge over the Sunrise Lake spillway. Councilman Feighert III asked for information on how much it was going to actually cost. Drew Bontrager stepped up to explain to the Council the bill before them was for the engineering agreement to plan the pedestrian bridge, although the City would have to front the money, it would be reimbursable from the grant. The total cash pay out from the city for Phase two would be about $1,100 when it was complete. Feighert then asked how many man hours from City employees would be required for Phase two, to which Bontrager said, six to eight per month.

The first reading on the bill for Phase two went to vote and was passed with Eddins, Clark and Jack in favor and Feighert and Breckenridge opposed.

Another hot topic at the city council meeting was the recent land purchase by the City of 380 acres near the hospital and Full Reading on Bill 2016-56 an ordinance accepting an offer to purchase and accepting the agreement concerning the real estate. The Mayor was authorized to make the purchase at a per-acre price of $6,200, and staff negotiated a price of $6,000 per acre. The land appraised at a value of $6,800 per acre. The City realized a positive difference of over $300,000 saved, between the purchase price and the actual value of the land.

 Jill McCarthy of KCADC spoke to the Council at the beginning of the meeting about he land purchase,“Being on I-35 we are excited about the new site in Cameron because it gives us something to pitch, McCarthy said. “Over the course of the many years I have worked, I have absolutely never had a project say to me we’re willing to wait until there is a land site. They are always looking for what is existing.”

Councilman Feighert expressed his concern saying he felt the Council was “hoodwinked” into the land purchase in a short period of time.

The full reading of the bill passed with Eddins, Clark and Jack in favor and Feighert and Breckenridge opposed.

Other orders of business in front of the Council were:

The second and final reading on Bill 2016-53 authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement for design of an animal shelter. The bill passed with Eddins, Breckenridge, Clark, and Jack in favor and Feighert opposed.

The third reading on Bill 2016-52 relating to the miscellaneous code relating to exterior display and storage. The bill passed 3-2.

Resolutions before the Council were:

Resolution 2016-25 authorizing the beginning of the process to annex into the city limits parcels of land owned by the City. The measure passed.

Resoltuion 2016-26 authoring the purchase of a pumper fire truck. Fire Chief Mike O’Donnell appeared before the Council to explain this was one of the two trucks made purchasable by the fire tax that had been passed. The measure passed unanimously.

The next City Council meeting will be Monday, December 19.