Lifeguard wages increased

California City Hall
California City Hall

A representative from Bartlett and West visited with the City of California Board of Alderman during their regular meeting Jan. 7 to discuss the finalization of the northwest Sanitary Sewer Improvements project, which was completed in the summer of 2018.

Gary Davis, the representative, said a bid was accepted by the City of California from Donald Maggi Inc., Rolla, for $940,000 to complete and update a sewer system just outside of California.

"We got the project for a great price," Davis said of the construction and engineering costs of the project. "The estimated cost turned out to be about 5.6 percent under the original bid, which came out to be $52,563.75, which was in the city's favor."

The engineering fee amounted to $45,916 under budget for the city, which can be used for the project's warranty.

"We're now in the warranty phase of the project," Davis said. "The one-year warranty started Halloween 2018 and will run until Halloween of 2019. I say the project is completely done. The workers have fulfilled their jobs and there is still $45,916 to work with, if something happens."

Davis will visit the project site in September, per conditions of the warranty, to check on the project and its endurance.

In other business, the council:

  • Approved Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Bids for the Water Treatment Plant from the Electric Controls Company on the condition the terms ECC placed be cleared up. Wastewater Supervisor Pat Murphy said the terms of the contract were "fairly broad," leaving Murphy to have cause for concern that the company would not be held liable if a mishap were to occur on the water treatment plant.
  • Recreation Supervisor Leslie Scheidt proposed to the council that they raise the hourly wages of California lifeguards from $8.60 per hour to $9 per hour. The reasoning behind this, Scheidt said, is due to the state's recent increase in minimum wage. The lifeguard wages were approved by the council.