Minutes 03/23/1954 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Narch 23rd, 1954. At a regular meeting of the City Council, held on March 23rd, 1954, there were present: Fred A. Duke, Frank N. Bilisoly,Jr., George L. Grimes, R. E. Hawks, C.C. Houghtin,Jr., James N~ Howard,, E ~ W. Lawrence, R. Irvine Smith, E. Robie Sturtevant, C.E. Warren, Pearle J. Wilson, I. G. Vass, City Manager, and R. C. Barclay,City Attorney. Minutes of regular meeting held on March 9th, 1954 were readand approved. The following reports from the Ci~yManager were read: 54-75. '~t a previous meeting, with Council, the matter of the City's participation in the Patrick Henry Hospital was deferred until the matter 'could be presented to the public concerning the facts in the case. I am attaching hereto a newspaper clipping indicating that an ilem of factswms published in the Portsmouth Star in the Sunday issue March ~l: 1954, and also copy of a news item carried in the same issue of the newspaper concerning facts pertaining to the Hospital. In addition ~o my former recommendatienthat the City Nanager be authorized re include the ~mount of the ennrance fee in the sum of $16,007.80. I recommend that the C~ty name two citizens of the City of Portsmouth to serve as members of the Board of Trustees of said Hospital." Motion of Mr. Hawks ~o suspend the rules to hear from 0. P. Lively, was adopted. Mr. Lively spoke for the City participating in the Patrick HenrM Hospital plan. Motion of Mr. Bilisoly that the City officials be authorized to enter into an agreemen~ with the Patriqk Henry Hospital and that an appropriation to cover the expense be included in the next budget, was adopted. 54-76. "On January 12ik~ 1954, ~ submitted a report to the City Counci~ from F. J. Bergeron, City Engineer, concerning the condition of the City Incinerator. At that time, I requested that no action be taken on the Report until we received a report from the firm of Greeley and Hansen who had been employed to make a study and report of our present incinerator and incinerator needs of the City in the future. I have now received a preliminary report from the firm of Greeley and Hanson and I have been advised by Mr.Greeley that the repairs referred to in Mr. Bergeron's report would in no way affect the alterations of the incinerator and that such repairs should be made. I therefore recommend ~hat a sum in the amoun~ of $10,O00.00 be placed on its first reading to provide funds for the alteration and major repairs of the incinerator since no such item was placed in the bud- get for the current year." Motion of Mr. Hawks that an appropriation of $10,000;00 for said purpose be placed on first reading, was adopted. 54~77. "I recommend that a sum in the amount of $7,000.00 be transferred from nhe Contingent Fund to the account to pay the premium on Fire Insurance on all of our buildings and contents. T his will p~y for the premium on a three year policy and will be a saving of quite a sum by purchasing a three year policy i~stead of buying it annually." F~otion of Mr. Lawrence to concur ~n the recommendation of the City Manager was adopted. 54-78. "I submit the attached repor~ on Audit of Commonwealth Revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30th, 1953, of the City Treasurer's office of the City of Portsmouth, Va., This is for your information." On motion filed. 54-79. "I submit the attached letter from X. D. Mnrden, Supt., of the Water department, and recom-; mend that we employ a firm of engineers to make a preliminary report on the expansion of the source o£ water suppl~ for the City of Portsmouth." Attached- "We are inclosing a letter £rom Causey and Weeks, Engineers, outlining proposed survey and inves~isatien of the area below the spillways at Lake Kilby and Lake Cahoon converging at a position the Nansemond River, Riverview Sub-Division, Suffolk, Virginia. We have authorized Mr. Causey ~o proceed with the survey ~n order that as much as the area may be covered before spring growth makes the surveying more difficult. There is an item in the 1953-54 budget approved for this work in amount of $6,000.00 with $371.27 expended on preliminary survey made by Water Department personnel. It is essential that this information be obtained before we can proceed with plans for construction of a ~am across the Nansemond River near Hiverview. There is also au item of $6,000.~0 in ~he 1954- 1955 budget which, if approved, would, be available July l, 1954. This will be sufficient to cover the entire sur- ~ey as outlined in Mr. Causey's letter. Your assistance in expediting the approval of this work will be appre- ciated " Motion of Mr. Hawks to concur in the recommendation o£ the City ~anager and that the work be awarded to the bidder suhmitting the best hid, was adopted. 54--80. "I submit an invoice for the mouth of February 1954 for the care of City prisoners in the County Jail at the ra~e of $2.00 per day. This is an increase of more tha~ one hundred per cent in their charges, will increase the cost of Jail expense by several thousand dollars annually. I am calling it to your attention in order that you may be familiar with the matter when the new Budget is prepared." On motion filed. 54-81. '~t a recent meeting of the City Council, a traffic light was approved ~o be installed at the intersection of First Avenue and High Street. I have referred ~o the City Budget and find that our funds are entirely exhausted for traffic lights in the Gurrent budget. I therefore recommend that an appropriation in the sum of $I,000.00 be placed on first reading for the installation of the light." Motion of Mr Smith that the City Manager be authorized to transfer $1,000.00 from the Con- tingent Fund to the Traffic Control Account, was adopted.