Stretching Your Tax Dollars - Part 2

Forms are laid for the foundation of a new bathroom at the recreation complex.
City staff members are constructing the building at half the cost of a private contractor.

Previously, I blogged about how the Public Works Department saved $25,000 in taxpayer money by taking a creative approach to completing major electrical projects at city facilities. Well, they've done it again! The city is currently replacing two restroom buildings at the Recreation Complex. When we've built restroom buildings in recent years the costs have been around $90,000 each as bid by private contractors. The Public Works Department starting exploring whether we could save money by constructing those buildings ourselves. What we found out is that our staff can complete the foundation, plumbing, and roofing work ourselves, and we only need to bid out the masonry work. By doing so, the cost of constructing these buildings was cut in more than half, meaning that we can construct two of them ourselves for the price we used to pay for one. This is just another example of how the city takes our financial stewardship seriously. Tax money is limited, so city staff tries to make it go as far as possible.

Adopt-A-Road Reboot

City employees and family members completed a litter cleanup on Linn St.

The City of Sikeston has had an Adopt-A-Road Program for many years, although it hasn't been very active the last few years. In an effort to revive the program, the city has launched a new webpage (http://www.sikeston.org/departments/public_works/adopt-a-street_program.php) and city employees adopted a street to kick it off. If you are interested in adopting a street please visit the webpage or call the Public Works Department at (573) 475-5636. The Public Works Department will provide trash bags for cleanup events and pick up the full bags left along the route, as well as post signs recognizing volunteer groups along adopted roadway sections. It's an easy way for companies, families, school groups, churches, Scout organizations, civic clubs, and others to give back to the community. 

Actually, you DO have access to that...

Several years of budgets, audits, annual reports, and capital plans are available on the city's website.

I recently had a casual meeting with a citizen. We were talking about the budget and city finances and he said something like, "I don't have access to the whole budget document, but..." After he finished his thought, I politely corrected him and made sure he knew that he (and everyone else) is indeed entitled to that information and has access to it. All of the city's budgets and financial audits for the last several years are easily accessible to anyone, 24 hours a day and free of charge, at http://sikeston.org/financial_and_annual_reports/index.php. #BuildingTrustThroughTransparency

Stretching Your Tax Dollars

The City saved over $25,000 by using in house expertise to complete the electrical work on two projects. 

In January/February 2014 the back shop building at the Public Works complex received severe structural damage from excessive snow and ice buildup on the roof. Nearly all of the roof trusses had structural failures ranging from small cracks to complete failures. When the damage was discovered Public Works and Public Safety staff quickly worked together to shore up the roof so it wouldn't collapse. Unfortunately, the building, which normally houses Street Division staff and equipment, was left uninhabitable. The city consulted with structural engineers and roofing contractors, then bid out a repair project that would involve removing the old roof and trusses a section at a time, replacing the trusses, then replacing a reinforced roof deck. The project would also involve extensive electrical and HVAC work and the removal and re-installation of several large overhead doors.

After receiving bids on the work, Public Works staff reassessed the project and determined that by using city staff rather than the contractor to remove and replace the electrical and HVAC equipment that was mounted on the trusses, the city could save a significant amount of money. By the end of the project, city staff had saved $11,544 off the contractor's bid even after adding brand new heating and lighting fixtures not included in the original bid.

In a separate project to rewire the city garage building, Public Works staff again reassessed the project and determined that much of the work could be completed by city staff with a commercial electrician needed for only a portion of the work. By utilizing in house expertise, the city saved $14,776 on this project. 

This is just one example of how the city takes our financial stewardship seriously. Tax money is limited, so city staff tries to make it go as far as possible. On these two projects, the city saved over $25,000 by taking a non-traditional approach to complete the work. 

Sikeston Proud Awards

The “Sikeston Proud Awards” are the city’s program for employee recognition. Any city employee can be nominated by any other employee – supervisor, coworker, or subordinate. Each month the city’s department heads, HR director and city manager meet to review the nominations and select several employees to recognize. For July and August 2015, the winners of the Sikeston Proud Awards are the following:

DPS Sergeant Jon Broom

Sergeant Broom was nominated for his actions during two life threatening incidents. Regarding the first incident, a supervisor said: “Recently Sergeant Broom responded to a residence in reference to an infant not breathing. Broom met the mother at the door and she took him to the infant child on the couch.  The baby was unresponsive, no pulse and not breathing.  This was most likely the result of an accidental oxygen deprivation while sleeping with other children. Officer Broom immediately began CPR and continued first aid until the ambulance crew arrived.  Broom then drove the ambulance to the hospital so the EMS crew could work on the infant and continue CPR.  A short time later the hospital informed our officers that the infant had a pulse. 

“I spoke with the mother of the baby today and she told me her daughter survived this incident, although regrettably, not without complications. The family expressed their extreme gratitude to Officer Broom for his quick action that likely saved this child’s life. Our officers are faced with many different challenges throughout their career. Few challenges are more frightening or more stressful than one involving a lifeless child. Broom took quick action in this demanding situation and his efforts saved the life of this child.  I’m very proud of him and others like him that work for our department.”

Sergeant Broom was also nominated, along with another employee, for his cool-headed response to a dangerous pursuit: “Today Sergeants Smith and Broom were involved in a shots fired call, and during this call a suspect vehicle was identified.  Sergeant Broom located the vehicle in the area of the call and attempted to stop the car, which resulted in a vehicle pursuit. During the pursuit the suspects attempted to run over Sergeant Smith.  Sergeant Smith showed great restraint by not using deadly force on these individuals.  These subjects were also observed throwing guns from the vehicle during the pursuit. The pursuit was terminated on Tanner Street at which time Sergeants Broom and Smith pinned the doors of the suspect vehicle with their patrol vehicles as the suspects were attempting to flee the area.  The end result of their efforts was the capture of all three of these dangerous individuals.”

Account Clerk Amanda Groves

Amanda’s supervisor wrote in her nomination: “While auditing receivables, Amanda noticed a discrepancy in a lessee’s account balance of $5,000. When the lessee was contacted their records indicated they were current.  Amanda provided a history of the account for the past two years to the lessee and they discovered an error from when they changed accounting programs. Payment of $5,000 has now been received by the city.”

Skilled Worker Darren Lowe

Darren is a skilled worker in our Street Department, which means he is involved in everything from street repairs, to snow plowing, to sign making. In his nomination, a supervisor said of Darren: “Darren Lowe is an employee that is deserving of recognition. He is an outstanding worker and he has been a real asset to our department by taking over the sweeper operations and the sign making machine. He just has great knowledge of what we do in the Street Department.

Street Supervisor Darren Martin

Darren was nominated for two different events; his response to a fire at the compost site, and his work on the city’s stormwater  permit. Darren spent many hours working with State inspectors reviewing the city’s policies and practices, inspecting various sites, and writing reports for the city’s stormwater permit. Regarding the fire at the compost site, a supervisor said of Darren and another employee: “Yesterday after work, Captain Jim McMillen called and alerted me to a fire that had ignited at the city compost site. I called Darren Martin, who followed up with Captain McMillen.  Darren quickly came to the scene as did Billy Smith. They worked with the DPS fire crew, and after some water had been applied, they began to use heavy equipment to cover the fire with sand. DPS was able to leave around 6:15, but Darren and Billy stayed on site at least another hour continuing to cover the fire with sand, and move it away from other areas that could ignite. I know it was their job…but they were quick to respond, and could have called other employees in to address it, but the two of them as supervisors handled it themselves. I just thought it was a great effort.”

Public Safety Officer Paula Nichols

Paula was nominated by two people in the Department of Public Safety. From the first nomination: “I would like to nominate PSO Paula Nichols.  She works very hard and has a lot of connections in our community that help Sikeston DPS with investigations.  I believe she is a valuable public safety officer and would like the City of Sikeston to be aware of this fact.”

From the second nomination: “I would like to recommend PSO Paula Nichols for the first round of employee recognition awards.  PSO Nichols has demonstrated great work ethic and an extremely high level of professionalism.  Frequently, PSO Nichols is the officer that can calm the most tense situations and takes time to console victims and family members, thereby reflecting a positive image of the department, the city, and herself.  In addition, PSO Nichols always take the time necessary to ensure she maintains the highest level of employee relationships, and often seeks out ways to assist other officers and supervisors with their daily duties.   It is an extreme honor to have such a proficient and personable officer on our shift.”

Communications Officer Angie Rodgers

Angie was nominated by a coworker in a different department who works with Angie on a regular basis and observed her work during the Santie Oil fire: “I would like to nominate Angie Rodgers. She is a DPS Communication Training Officer and has been with the city several years. In addition to being a training officer she is assigned to the Mobile Command Post which is an attachment of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Mobile Command Post is called out at a short notice and responds to many different events and tragedies.  There is a lot that goes on behind the scene that the communication officer does that many are unaware of and often goes unnoticed.  Angie was working the day Santie Oil Company was on fire.  Not to take anything away from the danger at the scene, but I am sure not only was Angie assisting with the major disaster by contacting the other agencies to come and assist, but she also had to handle the regular police calls as well as the 911 calls with others in emergency situations.  Her stress level was probably off the chart but I can assure you she stayed calm through the whole process.  She is truly a “hero behind the headset.”

Building Maintenance Supervisor Billy Smith

Billy was nominated for two different events; his response to a fire at the compost site, and his work on the bandstand in Legion Park. Billy was involved in the design and supervised the construction of the Keith Collins Bandstand in Legion Park. Regarding the fire at the compost site, a supervisor said of Billy and another employee: “Yesterday after work, Captain Jim McMillen called and alerted me to a fire that had ignited at the city compost site. I called Darren Martin, who followed up with Captain McMillen.  Darren quickly came to the scene as did Billy Smith. They worked with the DPS fire crew, and after some water had been applied, they began to use heavy equipment to cover the fire with sand. DPS was able to leave around 6:15, but Darren and Billy stayed on site at least another hour continuing to cover the fire with sand, and move it away from other areas that could ignite. I know it was their job…but they were quick to respond, and could have called other employees in to address it, but the two of them as supervisors handled it themselves. I just thought it was a great effort.”

DPS Sergeant Ryan Smith

Sergeant Smith was nominated for his cool-headed response to an incident in which dangerous suspects threatened his life: “Today Sergeants Smith and Broom were involved in a shots fired call, and during this call a suspect vehicle was identified.  Sergeant Broom located the vehicle in the area of the call and attempted to stop the car, which resulted in a vehicle pursuit. During the pursuit the suspects attempted to run over Sergeant Smith.  Sergeant Smith showed great restraint by not using deadly force on these individuals.  These subjects were also observed throwing guns from the vehicle during the pursuit. The pursuit was terminated on Tanner Street at which time Sergeants Broom and Smith pinned the doors of the suspect vehicle with their patrol vehicles as the suspects were attempting to flee the area.  The end result of their efforts was the capture of all three of these dangerous individuals.”

Want your neighborhood to flood? Do this!

On Monday morning a thunderstorm dumped 2.5 inches of rain on Sikeston just before dawn. Our Public Works crews were out first thing in the morning cleaning clogged drains and putting up warning signs where minor flooding occurred. Unfortunately, many flooding problems could have been easily avoided by simple changes to behavior. The picture above is a storm drain I saw a few hours after the rain stopped. Blowing grass clippings into the street is illegal. Littering is illegal. These actions may seem inconsequential - until your street floods because grass clippings and litter clog pipes and drains. Help keep your neighborhood dry by keeping the streets clean. 

And who is my neighbor?

Many people are familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus gave the commandment to "love thy neighbor as thyself." A doubter scoffed and asked, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, who acted as a true neighbor by stopping to help a stranger in need who had crossed his path. 

Yesterday a fire started at an oil distributor located in Sikeston. Fueled by large amounts of stored propane and other combustibles, it turned out to be one of the largest fires Sikeston has experienced in many years. When an incident like this occurs, it's an "all hands on deck" situation for our Department of Public Safety (DPS), which includes police, firefighters, and 911 dispatchers. Firefighters and trucks were immediately dispatched to the scene. Public safety officers quickly closed down nearby roads and evacuated nearby businesses as it became apparent that the fire would be extremely large and dangerous. Flames rose high into the air as propane tanks exploded and thick black smoke rolled off the fire. 

Calls went out to our "neighbors" in nearby communities and at several first response agencies. The City of Cape Girardeau sent firefighters and equipment to help fight the fire and staff a fire station in Sikeston in case other fire calls came in. The City of Morehouse sent firefighters and equipment to staff another fire station. The Missouri Highway Patrol closed Highway 60 in both directions to keep drivers away from the explosive materials. The Federal Aviation Administration declared a temporary flight restriction zone to keep small aircraft from coming close to a scene that was more dangerous than they might have known. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources sent crews and equipment to help contain the spread of spilled fuel. The Red Cross sent a canteen truck to help keep first responders hydrated in the 90+ degree weather. The New Madrid County Ambulance District, Stoddard County Ambulance District, and South Scott County Ambulance District all sent ambulances to help treat any wounded, of which thankfully there were few. The New Madrid County Sheriff's Office sent officers to help with traffic control. The State Fire Marshal's Office sent a crew to help with the cause and origin investigation. Sikeston BMU monitored water supplies and pressure. BMU and Ameren turned off power supplies to allow firefighters to safely fight the fire. Liberty Utilities turned off gas supplies and checked damaged meters as the fire diminished.

Multiple private businesses provided or offered meeting space, food, water, ice, and more, including Lowe's, Holiday Inn, Pizza Inn, Cott Beverage, and probably others of which I am not aware. UPS allowed Sikeston DPS to stage personnel, equipment and vehicles from their property across the street from the fire scene, and MikeRentals brought cooling fans over. After the fire was contained Sikeston DPS stayed on scene throughout the night to fight flare ups and hot spots. Sikeston Public Works employees were called in with heavy equipment to move dirt and contain spilled fuel before it entered storm drains and ditches.

All of these agencies and people acted as true neighbors to the Sikeston community throughout this incident. My sincere thanks go out to them, and to the many Sikeston DPS employees who put their lives on the line to protect our community. 

The Good Guys

Photo courtesy of Sikeston Standard Democrat

Recently you may have seen a viral news story and photo of a police officer comforting and distracting a toddler while other officers were tending to a fatal vehicle accident in the background. What you may not realize is that scenes like that happen everyday in the law enforcement world, even locally here in Sikeston. Above, a photo of Sikeston Public Safety Officer Scott Kim tending to a child after responding to a car accident scene. And sometimes our local officers's feel good stories do get recognized by the media as well, like this story of Sikeston officers playing basketball with some local kids:
http://www.kfvs12.com/clip/11624402/raw-sikeston-dps-officers-play-basketball 

Orgill Expansion Announced

Orgill, Inc. is the world's largest and fastest growing independent distributor of retail hardware and home improvement products. In 2009 they built a 795,000 sq ft distribution center in the Sikeston Business, Education and Technology Park. Today Orgill announced a $10.3 million, 250,000 sq ft expansion of the facility. The expansion will add 70 jobs to Orgill's operations in Sikeston, and bring the facility to over 1,000,000 sq ft. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Director of Agriculture Richard Fordyce traveled to Sikeston to announce the project. We're proud to have Orgill as one of our great corporate citizens in Sikeston!

Orgill, Inc.'s current facility in the Sikeston Business, Education and Technology Park. 

Sawing logs with butter knives

Having the right tools for the job matters. The City of Sikeston hired me and a new public works director just as the winter of 2013 began. Unfortunately, during my first week on the job we got the worst winter weather since the ice storm of 2009. More unfortunately, during that storm and some subsequent snows, we learned that our snow plowing equipment was badly in need of replacement. We had four dump trucks with plow attachments, all 18-25 years old. They spent more time in the shop than on the road during a big snow storm.

As a result, snow plowing operations did not go very well. So for the next year we budgeted for replacement of the three worst dump trucks. Our three new dump trucks arrived in the middle of the following winter. In fact, they arrived about a week after an 8" snow storm, and a week before another 8" snow storm. The difference between the old trucks and the new ones was astounding. After the first storm, it took us 5 days to plow all of the streets with the old trucks. Under virtually identical conditions, we completed the job in only 36 hours with the new trucks, simply because they are bigger and they stayed on the road instead of in the shop. As the public works director explained, with the old trucks it was like we were "sawing logs with butter knives."

Just this week we took one of new dump trucks to buy some cold mix asphalt for filling potholes. In the old trucks we could haul about 4-6 tons of asphalt. The first load in the new truck was over 14 tons, which means in one trip to the asphalt plant we can now haul as much as we used to in 2-3 trips. The investment in new trucks, though certainly expensive up front, has paid tremendous dividends. We are providing better service to our citizens, and we are doing it faster and cheaper.

New dump trucks in the Public Works yard shortly after they were delivered.