The Danville City Council has approved a $718,000 contract for an HVAC upgrade at the Public Works Building. As Public Works committee chairman Michael Puhr pointed out, this is not just for the part of the building Danville Police is turning into their new training center. With one small exception, it’s for the entire building. The work will take about a year, give or take, depending upon availability of contractors.
AUDIO: It’ll be done in phases, because you can only close down part of the building; and then move all that to the other part so you don’t disrupt services.
Meanwhile, a contract with Fleet Liability Insurance has been passed for Danville Mass Transit Vehicles. Mass Transit Director Lisa Beith had requested that this issue go straight to the full council because coverage needed to begin October 1st. She says liability coverage has tripled, and that’s no surprise; because a lot of companies that used to offer liability insurance for buses just don’t do it anymore.
AUDIO: The company actually that we have been insured through for the last, I think five years, is no longer doing mass transit. So we have to go into a whole different market and see if we can find some folks that are willing to put bids out. So that marketing summary in the packet gave you an idea of why people did not bid.
Finally, City Treasurer Chris Heeren explained to the Council that an improvement has been made in how much interest the city’s $24 million in ARPA COVID relief money is drawing in the bank at First Financial. While the city’s plan to spend the money, much of it on the new Garfield Pool and Park, was approved about a year and a half ago; the money itself has been waiting in the bank. Heeren says it was discovered that in July the money was only earning $6,000 in monthly interest. After communicating with the bank and making adjustments, the September earnings look to have been $110,000. Heeren gives all the credit to City Comptroller Ashlyn Massey.
AUDIO: We did not change banks. We just went and had a conversation with them, and explained where we felt the rate maybe should be, and they agreed. We’re very pleased, and I really appreciate the hard work that Ashlyn always does; you know, the details she always does.
Both Heeren and Massey confirmed that although interest earned with ARPA money could be moved into the general fund, the city is keeping it aside for ARPA projects; to guard against additional expenses and higher than expected bids.
