Road paving plan postponed

What will the Hill City Council decide about the gravel roads? This question brought several community members to the Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting June 26. 

After discussing gravel roads during the June 12 meeting alderman Dale Householder requested the engineering studies for north Newton, Deegan Drive and Lacy’s Court be put on the next agenda. Completing engineering studies for these roads was seen as a way to phase in the eventual paving.

City administrator Brett McMacken presented the council with three short form agreements from city engineer Kale McNaboe. These totaled the cost of engineering services and expenses at an estimated $80,670 for Deegan Drive and Lacy’s Court, $43,045 for North Newton Avenue and $49,380 for Short Street and Spruce Street. 

The agreements also say “for additional services of engineer’s employees engaged directly on the project, owner shall pay engineer an amount equal to the cumulative hours charged to the project by each class of engineer's employees times standard hourly rates for each applicable billing class; plus reimbursable expenses and engineer’s consultant’s charges, if any.”

John Wolter asked if any other engineering firms were solicited for proposals. If not, he suggested waiting to solicit until the city appointed a new engineering firm. 

Connie Wolters added to the discussion, saying, “There’s no disagreement that we have to get this done. It’s gone way too far. But when these prices, these estimates are just estimates, and there’s no guarantee on that. It’s hourly. It’s $173,000. I really think that we should put it out to bid and get it done right.”

In response to this, mayor Kathy Skorzewski said the position of city engineer is appointed on a yearly basis. Tthe current company being utilized will soon expire and the position will be up for appointment at the second meeting in July. 

“In the event that the council is not happy with the current engineer, they have the opportunity to not appoint that engineer and see if another one can be found,” said Skorzewski. 

Typically in this situation the mayor would solicit a Request For Proposal, see what comes back and schedule interviews. Skorzewski hoped that the acting mayor would then discuss the matter with the council. 

With this timeline in mind, Householder recommended the council postpone the engineering studies with the “possibility of a change down the road.” The council unanimously agreed. 

Alderman Carl Doaty also suggested starting the Request For Proposal process if the council chose to work with other interested parties for the city engineer position. 

A recount of the June 6 election was conducted based on the request of Ethan Walker. In the original Ward I results, Walker received 60 votes compared to Doaty’s 61 votes. 

The recount was conducted June 20. One representative from Walker and Doaty as well as a mutual representative met at the county offices. There they observed a test count on the machine, a recount on the machine and a hand count. The results were the same as the initial count. 

Also on the agenda was the approval of a replacement vehicle. This was part of the Master Vehicle Replacement Plan, which helps balance the cost of new equipment and vehicles. In last year’s budget, $40,000 was set aside for the replacement of a van. 

According to McMacken, the current van is having some issues and has around 102,000 miles on it. Skorzewski added that “the van is not in good shape.”

A similar vehicle was found in Belle Fourche for $33,983. It is a 2022 Chrysler Voyager LX FWD with 16,922 miles on it. The dealership is interested in taking the old vehicle as a trade-in for $4,000. 

The other options presented included a Chrysler Pacifica at a base cost of $43,833 with a turnaround delivery time of 90 to 120 days and a Ford Transit Connect at a base cost of $31,890 with a turnaround delivery time of 60 to 240 days. 

Alderman Gary Auch made a motion to approve the purchase of the van in Belle Fourche with the trade-in. It was unanimously approved by the council. 

Also with the council’s approval, Hill City Main Street will once again temporarily close for the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The proposed dates of closure are Aug. 4-13. This is the largest extent of the closure but it will be flexible based on the rally turnout. 

The city is also looking at Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) along with the economic development corporation in hopes of potentially qualifying for additional grant money, some of which could be used for a water reservoir. Historically Hill City has not qualified for this grant program because household incomes are too high. 

However, by conducting its own survey of resident household incomes in coordination with the Black Hills Council Local Governments (BHCLG), the city can determine if 51 percent of the community falls below the threshold and possibly unlock CDBG.

According to McMacken, account clerk Betsy Brose has been working to put a list of names and addresses to supply the BHCLG. The challenge here is trailer courts and apartments are group billed. To include these residents in the survey, the city needs their individual contact information. Skorzewski asked that anyone in this category call city hall at 605-574-2300. 

“If we don’t include everyone in town, we’re not going to get an accurate sample, and chances are we’re not going to qualify,” said McMacken. 

Once the city provides the list of residents, the BHLG will act as a neutral party to randomly select people to participate. They will then give the list of selections back to the city which will conduct the survey. 

Although there is a chance that the city will still not qualify, McMacken said it was a good exercise to do just in case it opened up the door for the grant. 

The 2024 budget meetings are coming up, and anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend. Initial discussions will take place July 13, 20 and 27 with an additional meeting Aug. 3 if necessary. After that, the first reading will take place Aug. 14 and the second reading will take place Aug. 28. All meetings will be held in the council chambers at 6 p.m.

The next meeting of the HCCC is Monday, July 10 at 5:30 p.m. at city hall.