Vienna utilities workers and members of the city council expressed their frustrations with working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which they need to do in order for that federal agency to pay for the maintenance work badly needed at the city water plant.

At the council’s October meeting, Utilities Superintendent Shon Westart they had a quote from Mid-State Pipeline for $16,800 to do the maintenance work at the city water plant and they want that company to do the work. Mid-State was the contractor when the new water distribution system and water treatment plant and storage were put in eight years ago. Westart said EPA representatives came to Vienna and they had a meeting. The city was told the EPA would pay for the work at the plant.

Westart said upgrades are badly needed at the water plant. There are parts that need to be replaced and the EPA representatives said they would get right on it and they haven’t heard from them yet.

South Ward Alderwoman Brenda Davis said the city also has been left hanging with the progress of the PCE contaminant removal from the old hat factory property. She commented it’s a disaster zone “and we’re living right next to it.” The PCE found in the city’s water is the reason the city spent $2.5 million to put in a water treatment plant. Vienna’s water system is part of the federal Superfund because of that contaminant. The city was told the hat factory will be demolished the dirt hauled off and replaced with new, non-contaminated dirt. 

Westart said it was the EPA that made Vienna build the plant. Now, Vienna is just doing the best it can. Davis asked if the city should send a letter. Mayor Tyler “TC” James said the EPA keeps saying they will do it, but then the city doesn’t hear from them for a year.

Westart said at their last meeting “we were adamant it needs to be fixed.” Davis said maybe they need a paper trial; they need to put a fire under them. Westart said the last meeting they had with the EPA representatives was recorded. At the meeting they discussed a softening agent and preventative maintenance.

Mid-State Pipeline being involved is good, Mayor James said as their representative, Tony Miller, has worked with the EPA before and may have some contacts he can make with the right people.

Westart mentioned a sequestering system, a chemical that’s put into the system to soften the water. Mid-State’s quote to fix all the things that are wrong at the water plant was $16,800. Mayor James said at least they have a contractor now with a price quote. Westart said the repairs at the water plant have to be done no matter what. The city may have to pay for it because they can’t continue to wait on the EPA.

Other business at the October Vienna City Council meeting:

• City Clerk Sherry James gave the council members two different financial statements for them to choose from. The new city clerk, Carrie Roberds, was at the meeting also.

James said the payment for the street paving to Capital Asphalt of $169,172.64 is why the Street Fund is showing a negative. She will transfer money into that fund.

The audit was another big expense at $4,950.

• About the street paving work, Westart was pleased to report nearly all of the big stuff is done. All the streets on the south side of Highway 42 are adequately paved and only a few remain to be done on the north side of Highway 42. He said once the north is finished, the city will be good for 10 years as long as they maintain the asphalt streets with crack seal.

• Davis complimented the Vienna Volunteer Protection District with the completion of the fire station #2. She said a better ISO has brought down property insurance premiums for people who live outside of town in the area of the new fire station.

• Mayor James said they need a bit more work on the mobile home ordinance. They want to modify the application, basically getting more information, details and photos. They want to take out the special public hearing and deal with mobile home applications and public comment at the regular city council meeting. Davis said they want to see photos so they can make sure it’s not a mobile home in poor condition that’s brought into the city.

• Davis said letters were sent to the individuals who recently applied for the city clerk job. There were 43 applications. The names were covered so the council members did not know who the individuals were. They met and worked hard to narrow the number down to five applicants they wanted to interview. One dropped out so they interviewed four people. Mayor James said they had good applicants. He said about half of them were from Indeed, the online employment site. The council spent a lot of time choosing Carrie Roberds, who has previous city clerk and bookkeeping experience. Davis said the decision to hire her was unanimous.

• Mayor James said a letter was sent to the Missouri Department of Agriculture about Farmer’s Meat Market, a butcher shop interested in locating in the former Wow Pizza building at the edge of the industrial development park purchased by Hippos along Highway V. The letter informs the department the city’s water meets all state required drinking standards. Also, the city intends on receiving wastewater from the Farmer’s Meat Market. But there is a condition on the sewer receiving it as the new business will be required to install a city-approved, engineered treatment system to reduce biological oxygen demand (BOD) prior to discharge to the city’s collection system. The letter further stated Farmer’s Meat Market has procured the services of an engineer to design this system and it will be reviewed by the city’s engineer.

• Westart said the city water meters will be read early in an effort to locate leaks as the city is losing 30,000 gallons of water a day and they don’t know where the problem or problems are. He said after they read them, Clerk James can spot sites were water usage has increased. They’ve already found several sites.

Westart said the 30,000 gallons are not going to the lift station so he thinks the problem is on the west side of the crown, which is Main Street. He said he doesn’t want people to get large water bills because they don’t know they are having a problem.

• Food was brought in to celebrate Sherry James, who has accepted a position as Office Manager for the new Hippos medical marijuanna manufacturing facility in Vienna. Davis commented James “brought the city into the twenty-first century” with her knowledge of technology. Westart said it was his privilege to work with her and they have become good friends.

Mayor James presented James with a gift card.

Council members present at the meeting were Jesse Jones, Rita Juergens, Mayor James, Davis, and Reva Hutchison, Police Chief Shannon Thompson, utility employees Westart and Jim Sandbothe, and newly hired clerk Carrie Roberds.