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Splish, splash: Water park scheduled to open July 1

By Estuardo Garcia - | Jun 18, 2008

Estuardo Garcia

Swimmers, get your bathing suits ready: An official date has been set for the opening of the Tonganoxie Water Park.

At Monday night’s Tonganoxie City Council meeting, the council heard an update on the pool’s construction from Dennis Wilbert of Prosser Wilbert Construction Inc. The pool’s opening date has been set for July 1.

Wilbert discussed the possibility of opening earlier while workers finished up the rest of the construction, but council members wanted the project to be finished well with as little distractions as possible.

To show his appreciation to the city for the project, which Wilbert said he was proud of being a part of, the construction company will donate time and materials to refinish the roof of the gazebo next to the pool and to repaint it.

The council directed city administrator Mike Yanez to write a letter of thanks to Prosser Wilbert Construction for their generous donation.

“I want to congratulate everyone for what appears to be a tremendous asset to the community,” council member Ward said about the water park.

The council also unanimously voted to approve $10,819 in change orders associated with the pool.

During his agenda, Mike Kelly, the city attorney, brought a few items to the council’s attention, including some house bills that will affect the city when they go into effect July 1.

Kelly said HR-2937 would allow a minority of elected officials to discuss issues without violating the Open Meetings Act. In the case of Tonganoxie, this will let two council members talk outside of a public meeting, but Kelly said there is a stipulation.

“You cannot discuss things with the purpose of reaching an agreement,” he said.

In January the residents of Tonganoxie voted 143 to 33 against a charter ordinance that would have allowed two council members to talk outside of a public meeting.

Kelly also advised the council of HR-2217 and how it affects mayoral appointments. The bill states that the council would have 45 days to reject a mayoral appointment or else it would automatically be approved. The bill also states that if a council rejects the appointment they would need to adopt a resolution stating why the person is unfit for the position.

Kelly advised drafting a charter ordinance that would exempt the city from that section of the bill to avoid any lawsuits.

“It could cause the city a lot of problem and a lot of embarrassment to the individual,” Kelly said.

In other business the council:

¢ Voted, 3-1, for pay request five to Meadows Construction for work completed on the Pleasant Street improvement project between Fourth and Washington streets. The request was for $34,794.12. Council member Paula Crook had the dissenting vote.

¢ Unanimously voted for pay request one to Meadows Construction for work completed on the Pleasant Street improvement project between Second and Third streets. The request was for $3,060.

¢ Unanimously voted for pay request one to Meadows Construction for work completed on the Pleasant Street improvement project between First and Second streets. The request was for $10,072.80.

For more on the meeting, visit www.tonganoxiemirror.com.