Final payments for Hot Springs water tank approved

HOT SPRINGS – A final update on the Hot Springs water tower construction project was a big topic of conversation during 2016’s first meeting of the Hot SPrings City Council as well as concerns about winter road conditions.

The city reviewed the progress on the water tank project and approved the final payments to the workers. The city has been installing a new tank to provide more water to the area and extend fire suppression abilities to the areas on the south side of Highway 77.

According to Mayor Randy Woods, there are some items for completing the project that cannot be done during the winter. This includes things like laying gravel and landscaping. These will be completed, as weather permits, during the spring of 2016.

The project is going over their projected duration by approximately 83 days. According to Woods, the company doing the work needed to wait for a part to complete part of the job; delivery was delayed for approximately 13 days as it traveled to Hot Springs, during which the subcontractors were largely sitting around.

It was questioned why they could not have gone to Missoula or Spokane to get the part, saving the company huge expenses keeping the crew in a hotel extra days without progress, but there was no speculation on the reasoning. The council agreed they should not give the company slack on this and should insist on the full reimbursement for the time the workers were waiting.

There have also been issues with getting one of the pipes painted. Woods recalled there was a miscommunication between the contractor and one of the companies they were working with; the subcontractor did not think they were responsible for the task when they were.

The contractor has stated they are willing to come out and complete the task, since they are responsible under the original contract.

“If one of their subs doesn’t follow through, it’s nothing to do with us, our contract’s with [the contractor],” said Woods.

Complaints about road plowing around town was also discussed. The mayor recalled the plows had been driving the streets with the plow up and felt it would be better to go with the plow down to take care of areas, even if they are not too bad yet.

Woods said he would get together with the public works department to review the plow policy and possibly rework some of the rules.

In addition to this, it was noted many people had reported slipping and falling on Main Street. With the snowstorms and overcast skies, the roads have been covered in slush and ice. It was noted some people have been making their own paths with ice melt and kids coming from the school were dealing with treacherous conditions on their walk home. Some vehicles have also been dealing with problems on the roads; it was noted some drivers need to get a running start on a hill to make it up and, if they stop for anything, could slide back down.

Woods noted there are solutions to the problem, but they are complicated. Sand or gravel can be used to add traction on roads, but they just cover the road and eventually get pushed off to the side; the city usually uses salt to help melt the snow and ice, but it is difficult to get.

“We do have some and we’re mixing it … but, we just need to work harder at clearing it and we are doing that,” Woods said.

The council also discussed things with the upcoming Banditos and Hermanos event. The city may close down a section of Main Street for safety during the event though the decision will depend on how many people attend and how much traffic is trying to use the streets the day of.

The council also approved a motion to waive the open container laws during the event from Friday evening to Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning. The waiver will only be in effect from the sidewalk of the Montana Bar on Arlee Street and around the corner to Fergies Pub.

Glass will be prohibited in the area and bar owners will need to keep the area clean.