By John Howell
City leaders, acting at the recommendation of Batesville Civic Center Director Roy Hyde, chose the greater of two quotes for the civic center’s climate control maintenance contract.
Hyde cited time savings, a technician already familiar with the facility, and the proximity of nearby work in recommending the bid of Alpha Mechanical Service, Inc. for $14,298 over the $12,320 quoted by EMCOR Service (Walker J. Walker).
“The technician’s on such a higher level,” Hyde said. Accepting Alpha’s bid would allow that same technician to continue working with the civic center equipment with which he was already familiar, the BCC director told the mayor and aldermen during their April 5, First Tuesday meeting.
Alpha also has maintenance contracts on equipment at Ole Miss that, “we can piggyback on,” Hyde said, when the Alpha technician is already en route to the university.
“Quite frankly, their contract’s a little better,” assistant city attorney Colmon Mitchell said. “It has less objectionable matter.”
In other civic center business:
• The RV park at the civic center usually has few vacancies, Hyde told the mayor and aldermen.
“I thought this would take another year, but we’re getting overnighters pulling out from 55 now, they’re starting to spread the word; we’ve got a couple of construction crews that stay out there,” Hyde said.
“How much are they paying?” Alderman Stan Harrison asked.
“$30 (nightly) for the overnighters; $20 for the month,” Hyde said.
The BCC director said that word about the RV site had spread through the Good Sams camping organization. “Good Sams is the key,” he said;
• Conference rooms were reopened after a week’s closing allowed contractors to paint, add chair rail and replace floors, Hyde told aldermen;
• Aldermen voted to accept a letter of resignation from BCC secretary Linda Floyd. The long-time civic center employee notified aldermen last year that she was planning to retire this year. Her letter stated a June 15 retirement date.
The mayor and aldermen also discussed city business in secrecy during an executive session that lasted over an hour.
Sources indicated that subjects discussed included a receipt of a tort claims notice that a plaintiff is filing a lawsuit against the city, a personnel hearing for a Batesville police officer that resulted in the officer’s termination, and the city’s negotiations with a property owner.