The City of Henderson Mayor and Alderman are facing a contract dispute over a modular bathroom that will be installed at Gene Record Park.
Grinder, Tabor, Grinder Construction of Memphis has the contract with the city for the construction of the $249,000 facility that includes two bathrooms and will also serve as a tornado shelter. The 600 sq. ft. building will be situated adjacent to the Clayton Family Playground.
Mayor Terry Bell said the construction company is asking the city to pay for the building prior to it being shipped which violates the contract. “This is the third time they have asked for the prepayment,” Bell said. “The board has stayed firm on the language of the contract and will not prepay.”
According to City Recorder Jim Garland the building is finished and ready to be shipped. The term of contract specifies the city will pay once the engineer inspects the building and verifies it meets specifications.
Bell said he was unsure when the issue would be resolved.
Prior to approving the accounts that had been paid in June, Garland noted that the city pays for half of the Emergency Management Service Director’s salary and half of his benefits. In addition, the city pays half of the dispatchers’ salary. These payments total $194,039.10 that is paid to the county annually.
Building and Zoning Director Brent Beshires discussed an issue with two residents on Shannon Drive that were feuding over the placement of a wood fence between the properties.
According to Beshires, the neighbor adjacent to where the fence is being constructed, is demanding that the new fence must have the pickets on the outside of the fence, opposed to the inside, for atheistic purposes.
Beshires said he had been over there multiple times and explained to the complaining neighbor the city’s ordinance on fencing “recommended” the pickets of a wood fence are on the outside of the fence but did not “mandate” the ordinance being enforced.
Other items approved by the board members include:
• the purchase of a truck for the utility department;
• the purchase of additional natural gas pipe and supplies;
• a grant that would fund the purchase of four bullet proof vests for the police department;
• accepting a bid from Patriot Power Cleaning to clean the façade of city hall for $5,100;
• contracting with Zeigler’s Sealcoating to repair cracks, seal and stripe city hall parking lots for $9,500;
• accepting a bid from E&T Contracting for $46,364.50 to install two rollup doors at the fire department. This also includes the cost of the building modification for the taller doors. This is so the department’s new ladder truck will fit inside the bay;
• the final reading on changing the “tiny house” language. Alderwoman Donna Butler voted against the changes, and,
• a request by Doug Acred, fire chief, to allow new volunteer firefighters to obtain an additional 76 hours of training the first year and is capped at $1,980. The previous ordinance only allowed these firefighters a maximum of 72 hours for meetings, fire calls, etc.
