Council members look over bids to remove problem trees

The Red Oak City Council is moving forward with plans for the removal of problem trees in the community.

At the regular meeting on Dec. 2, city administrator Brad Wright said the council had received five bids for the project.

“The low bid was from Miners Tree Service located here in town, and The Green Tree Company was next in line, so our two local contractors were very competitive,” Wright said.

While providing the low bid, Wright said he was recommending the council wait on approving the bid pending further documentation from Miners Tree Service.

“They were advised we would need copies of their insurance before we considered any action, and as of this council meeting, I did not get that,” Wright advised.

Wright added that when that insurance documentation was provided, the council could vote on the bid, at the next council meeting, and working on drafting other documents on the job.

“I’m working on a contract that I’ll be asking for Mr. Miner to sign before we entertain awarding the bid so we can make sure everything is clear on what needs to be done and the things we expect from the process,” said Wright.

Wright said if the proof of insurance hadn’t been provided before the next council meeting, the city would consider other options. Deadline for the tree removal is June 1, 2020. Currently, there are 135 trees that have been targeted for removal.

The council also discussed a memorandum of understanding between Montgomery County, the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency, and the City of Red Oak for use of subscriber radios used for emergency response.

“This is through the project the county has undergone for all of our benefit, the new communications system. These are the radios provided for the police and fire department. The MOU stays that while the county is paying for this all up front, in essence, after the project is up and rolling, they are ours, and if they have to be replaced, it is at our expense,” commented Wright.

Wright said the city also received the levy inspection report from the U.A. Army Corps of engineers.

“This is the annual inspection, and has nothing to do with the certification process. We passed with the minimally acceptable rating that we get all the time. So that came back fine. I’ll be asking JEO representatives to attend a future council meeting for another update on the progress being made in our levee recertification process,” Wright said.

In other business, the council:

• Approved an owner change for Hy-Vee, Inc., and Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits. Red Oak Hy-Vee Store Director, Mike Webb, is retiring.