Capital projects are part of proposed budget
Published 9:34 pm Monday, May 6, 2013
As Washington’s City Council continues its work on preparing a budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year, it will consider several capital projects for that fiscal year.
Among a list of capital projects that total $740,000, there is the $150,000 lighting project proposed for the soccer fields at the McConnell Sports Complex. Some council members want to defer that project, but a nonbinding straw poll at the council’s last meeting resulted in the project being kept in the proposed budget.
There’s $64,000 allocated to replace restrooms at the Todd Maxwell baseball/softball complex at the intersection of West Third and Plymouth streets near the city’s wastewater-treatment facility.
The proposed budget appropriates $25,000 to continue the city’s boardwalk-replacement project, which has been occurring in phases.
The proposed budget appropriates $75,000 for equipment improvements to the city’s public-education and government channel (channel 9 on the local cable television network). That channel is used by the city to inform residents and others about city government happenings, provide information about city services and provide some entertainment programming. Channel 9 also shows educational programming.
The proposed budget also appropriates $24,000 for lighting improvements at Brown Library.
The Peterson Building, which houses offices for the city’s parks and recreation programs and the Grace Harwell Martin Senior Center, is in line for roof replacement/repair to the tune of $60,000 and replacement of an HVAC unit at a cost of $10,000. The ramp and the adjacent entrance at the center are scheduled for replacement at a cost of $40,000.
“In order for the staff to balance the budget while simultaneously including capital items requested and needed by the various departments, it is proposed to finance approximately $409,000 of the capital projects through 59-month installment purchase program,” City Manager Josh Kay wrote in his budget message to the mayor and council.
During a meeting Monday, the council went through a general review of utilities funds. The council is scheduled to perform a detailed review of those funds during a meeting Thursday. That meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 102 E. Second St.