Three major topics of conversation dominated the Frankfort City Council meeting Monday night.
Probably the most contentious topic involved the contract the city has with former Frankfort Parks Superintendent Travis Sheets, who has an 18-month contract as a contractor to help out with the Prairie Creek Park and Aquatic Center projects, at a total of $4,250 per month or $76,500 over the length of the contract.
Frankfort City Councilman Mike Brite said several people in the city are not happy with the contract.
“We just hired a new parks superintendent (Bart Kraning) that came highly recommended,” said Brite. “I think he should have the knowledge to do what we’re paying Travis as a contractor to do.”
Brite said he would like to sit down and talk with Sheets about the contract.
“I definitely think the 18 months is way too much,” said Brite. “But we can sit down with him and see where he’s coming from on it, talk to the new parks superintendent and hopefully get something worked out. I just know the public as a whole is not real happy about it. So, they need an explanation about what’s going on.”
Sheets’ contract was approved by the former Board of Works that included Mayor Chris McBarnes and members Kenny Estes and Jim Siegfried. Now, they are all gone and been replaced.
City Councilman Joe Palmer said the city would be saving a lot by keeping the contract they have with Sheets.
“If we don’t have Travis and we have to go outside our expertise, then it’s going to cost us money,” said Palmer. “The first initial pricing was roughly $200,000 that the park is now going to take care of. The RDC (Redevelopment Commission) is picking up the tab on the plants. So, we’re saving a lot of money.
“The problem is Travis has a wealth of information,” continued Palmer. “So what the city had done under the prior mayor was hire him as a consultant. You need a consultant in just about anything that’s a major thing.”
The second topic revolved around the Aquatic Center at TPA Park. The current price tag is at $9.3 million and is roughly $2 million over budget. Palmer, who is a member of the pool committee, said that group cut two items out of the new pool — a concession stand that was going cost about $1 million and building a parking lot which is going to save $70,000.
Palmer said they can add a concession stand at a later time.
“I think this is the conservative thing and right thing to do,” said City Councilman Eric Woods.
The Aquatic Center is not scheduled to open until 2021.
The third topic involved the proposed public safety building at the Frankfort Airport. Woods made a proposal that the council take another look at the CVS West property, which was one of the four properties that was looked at previously.
“I’m not disagreeing with Councilman Woods,” said Palmer. “If we can get it back in town, that’s fine. If we go to the airport, that’s fine, too.”
However, Palmer said the biggest problem with CVS West is the cost.
“The people who own that live out of town on the west coast,” said Palmer. “What we think it’s worth and what they think it’s worth is a wide area right now. It’s not like it’s $10,000 between the two of us. We’re talking several, several thousand.”
There is one thing Palmer definitely doesn’t want to see happen.
“I totally disagree with closing down any fire stations because as long as we have tracks in this town, I look at public safety and I look at the people who need it,” he said. “Each quarter of his town could be cut off at some point.”
The meeting was the first for new Mayor Judy Sheets.