Supervisors OK bid, prep for final phases of fire alarm upgrade
Apr. 6—OTTUMWA — The Wapello County Board of Supervisors formally approved the low bid of Elite Fire Sprinkler Systems during Tuesday's weekly meeting at the courthouse, and clearing the way for the final phases of the planned fire alarm upgrade.
The bid from the firm came in at $62,500, with Hawkeye Communication of Hiawatha as the main contractor for the fire alarm, and Ottumwa-based Ridgway Electric LLC handing electrical sub-contractor duties.
Vice chair Jerry Parker said the upgrade can start "almost immediately" and would take two months, but supervisor Brian Morgan noted the contract stipulates the work be completed by Aug. 31.
"It's good to have the same company that put in our other system be the ones that do the alarm," Parker said. "They know where they left off. They can step right in."
After the interior work is complete, the only aspect left in the project is the removal of the outdoor fire escape, and Parker said there have been multiple suggestions how to do that.
"We have to come up with a method by which to do that," Parker said. "What we'll probably do is I've talked to the Ottumwa Fire Department to see if we could use their big bucket truck, not to lower it, but to be in to do some of the physical work like sawing off the bolts.
"It's been suggested we use a torch to cut them off, but you're working next to stones that could retain a lot of heat and cause a problem," he said. "We'll probably get someone to suggest a way to do it. Then we'll hook a crane onto it with a cable and lower it down."
In other business, the supervisors:
—approved an annual resolution that requires property owners to destroy noxious weeds, as outlined by Iowa Code. Those must be destroyed by June 1; if the property owner doesn't destroy them, the county will and then assess the cost to the owner's property taxes.
—declared a property owned by Tabitha Six at 15441 Blackhawk Road to be a public health and safety hazard. The owner has until April 27 to remove all structures and debris.
"A house is setting on the ground knocked over," county engineer Jeff Skalberg said. "The homeowner has demolished it but has yet to clean it up. We are currently in the process in court where we'll reconvene at the end of the month, and the homeowner is to have as much done as possible at that time. Whatever they don't get done by that time, we will be able to go in and clean it up."
If the property isn't completely cleaned up, the county will pay to finish the job initially, then the remaining cost will be assessed to the owner's property taxes.
—approved the Secondary Roads Department fiscal 2022 budget at just over $5.1 million.
—approved the renewal application for the Optum Managed Transplant Program. The premium for the insurance benefit is down 1% from a year ago, costing a single person $5.66, and a family $13.58. The program is carried out through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company.
— Chad Drury can be reached at cdrury@ottumwacourier.com, and on Twitter @ChadDrury
