Sebring approves facade grant for CRA commissioner

Following a recommendation from the Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners, the Sebring City Council unanimously approved a $6,000 facade grant for David and Lorrie Smith to be reimbursed for repairs to their property.

Lorrie Smith is a CRA commissioner. When the CRA board decided to recommend the application, she stepped down from the board temporarily during the vote due to a conflict of interest.

"Following the vote she resumed her position on the board," said Robin Hinote, administrative assistant to the CRA Wednesday.

However, the board did not approve the application as it does with other façade grants, and brought it forward to the city council for its approval.

"When any CRA commissioner applies for a façade grant on any property they own, it has to go to final approval from the city council," she said.

The Smiths' home, located on Lakeview Drive, is on the National Register of Historic Places and therefore qualified for a 60 percent reimbursement on its $10,761 construction job to rebuild an attached carport, repair cracks in the driveway, and to replace awnings.

The façade grant program allows a $3,000 cap on most facades and a $6,000 cap on historic buildings.

The work on the project will be done in phases, according to the application.

The CRA's façade grant program still has $82,551.95 for business and residential buildings within the Sebring CRA district.

For more information on façade grants or CRA activities, contact Hinote at 863-471-5104.

Irrigation surplus

The council unanimously approved a request from golf course Superintendent Jim Higgins to declare an old Toro irrigation system from the city's renovated golf course as surplus and to try to sell or trade it to prevent clutter.

The old irrigation system was 19 years old and hydraulic controlled, Higgins explained in the agenda summary. The new system is electric and none of the old system can be used with the new system.

Proceeds would go to the Municipal Golf Course for improvements.

Trash pickup conversion on fast track

After council passed a $33,000 budget amendment Tuesday to its public works department for front load Dumpsters, the city is in the process of converting its commercial garbage pickup from a rear load style truck to a front load style truck.

This would allow the garbage to be picked up by a single truck with a single operator, reducing manpower needs.

"Initially it was determined to implement this transition in phases allowing for resolution of any issues that may arise," said Rob Miller, public works superintendent, in his agenda item.

"Since beginning the switch, it has been determined that the front load truck can handle all commercial accounts and that it is time to complete the transition," he added.

It was originally planned to purchase the needed remaining front load trash containers in fiscal year 2009 - 2010. However, due to a reduction in tipping fees paid to the county, the funds are available to purchase the trash containers in fiscal year 2008-2009, Miller said.

The city's current budget showed estimated tipping fees paid to the county as of July 7 at $402,000.

"We are currently at $247,000, which is a net savings of $154,000," said Miller.

The city will use the $33,000 from the landfill tipping fee line item and transfer it to the Dumpster repair line item on the budget, which is the amount needed to purchase the front loading containers.

The Dumpsters range from $400 to $800 each, depending on the size, and Miller expects to buy about 80 containers.

The city has got a bid in place, and depending on how many the company has in stock, it should begin receiving them in a week and a half to three or four weeks depending on their availability, Miller added.

The purchase of another truck, a pick-up arm and the residential containers are in the proposed budget, subject to council's approval. The item remained in the budget after Wednesday's budget workshop.

The capital outlay for the residential package is about $520,000.

Miller expects the move would save the city about $135,000 per year in equipment and labor costs, based on a 10-year life cycle for the equipment, including job attrition.

He would reassign personnel to other tasks, but would not replace personnel when they leave.

"Right now I think the last thing this economy needs is to lay anybody off," said Miller. "We need everybody working."