By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The city’s Water Distribution Department is hoping to make things a little easier when it comes to locating taps and valves.
John Ernsberger presented the Bucyrus City Council Platting Committee Thursday night with an opportunity to apply for a grant for Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping. Ernsberger is part of the city’s Water Distribution Department, which works off maps from 1965 and 1991.
Ernsberger said they have been able to get by on the outdated maps but, with Superintendent Jerry Daiber set to retire in a few years, much of the knowledge that isn’t found on the maps will be lost. As it is now, Daiber draws new waterlines on a book which then gets passed out among the department.
When checking on any kind of issues, Ernsberger said, they have to check maps from their booklets and the 1991 map. After that, they will confirm with Daiber if there are any other changes.
The GIS mapping system would allow the department to have the ability to plot data points using a handheld device, which will later be downloaded and updated on the maps.
“They get it within six inches of these valve lines,” Ernsberger said.
The grant is available through Stantec, a company the city works with on airport issues. It would be a $50,000 grant with a 10-percent matching grant from the city. The city’s portion would be paid with money from the Storm Water, Water Distribution, Streets, and Sewage departments. Each department would pay $1,250 towards the grant.
Stantec would write the grant and OTCO would scan and digitize current maps. According to Service/Safety Director Jeff Wagner, Stantec would use $22,000 of the grant for their portion of the project while OTCO would use $28,000.
The grant includes a printer, laptop, monitor, and a waterproof, shock-resistant tablet.
“Instead of all these maps and all these books in our trucks,” Ernsberger said, “we have a tablet.”
The mapping system would also allow them to download information to their smartphones or give the section information to contractors.
The grant would include five years of free technical support from Operator Training Committee of Ohio, Inc. (OTCO). OTCO would also train five to 10 students through the grant to map the plots. Ernsberger and Wagner said a teacher from Marion Harding, who has worked on a similar project in another area, would train five students from her school and possibly another five from Bucyrus to plot the points within the city. The students would be paid through the grant and from other grant sources supplied by the teacher.
Currently, two employees within the Water Distribution Department are trained to use a GIS mapping system. The Sewers and Drains Department and the Engineering and Zoning Office already use GIS. The system will also be beneficial for the Crawford County EMA.
The Platting Committee requested an emergency legislation for the grant. The Finance Committee later approved the city’s portion of the money for the grant dependent upon the grant’s approval.
The Finance Committee met later that evening. It approved the money for the GIS grant as well as legislation for the lease of the Plymouth Street Fire Station. The lease is the same one used for the past number of years by Lifestar. Life Support will be the new ambulance service to lease the building. It will be leased for $18,000 a year. The Finance Committee will be seeking emergency legislation.
The Finance Committee will also be seeking legislation for an appropriation of $20,000 for an insurance check for a fire earlier this year on Wingert Street. An appropriation will also be made for $554 for personal services. Auditor Joyce Schifer also requested a transfer of $500 in the Law Director category from contractual services to materials and supplies. Legislation will be sought on each matter.
The committee also approved a land lease of the downtown theater for $1 for two years. The city will lease the property from Bucyrus Theatre, Inc. to comply with the art park grant. The property will be signed over to the city once the building has been removed. The lease was approved pending legislation approval from the Public Lands and Building Committee, which will meet at a later date.
The fire department contract was approved and will be sent to a full Council hearing as an emergency legislation. The contract included changes such as:
• A cap on accumulated sick time for new employees;
• A residency restriction for new employees which requires them to live in Crawford County;
• A change in vacation dates for those with over 20 years with the department;
• A pay raise in the amounts of two percent for the first year, two percent for the second year, and 3 percent for the third year; and
• A slight increase in equipment allowance.
The Finance Committee held a second meeting later that night to review the 2015 budget.
“Estimated year-end balances are going to change,” Schifer said. “It’s a moving target.”
The Health and Safety Committee also met to discuss the city’s annual liquor license renewal. Police Chief Dave Koepke stated he had no objections with any of the liquor licenses in town. A motion was made not to object to any of the renewals.