The Henderson City Commission completed a whirlwind of activity a marathon meeting on Jan. 29 that saw the body approve seven municipal orders totaling nearly $1.8 million in spending but also one land sale that will put $1.9 million into the city coffers.
Here’s a breakdown of the activity.
Pratt to exercise option on land in a $1.9 million dollar deal
When the city of Henderson and Pratt Industries entered a deal for hundreds of acres of land several years ago, a piece of that deal was an option on a 100-acre tract connected to the land. Now, Pratt is exercising that option to buy the land for $1.917 million. According to the terms of the deal, Pratt will pay the city $383,455.80 annually for the next five years.
The commission unanimously approved the deal.
City Manager Buzzy Newman told the Hendersonian that he doesn’t know yet what Pratt plans with the land.
Commission approves purchase of $982,000-fire pumper
The commission approved the purchase of a new fire engine that comes at a cost of $982,621.
But with that price tag there comes a caveat. Fire officials say the company building the fire pumper will know a more precise cost of the truck about 14 months from when it is scheduled to be completed.
With the contract approval, that company, Atlantic Emergency Solutions from Manassa, Va., will pay up to 5% over the quoted price when the final price is determined 14 months from the completion date.
If the final price reaches a total higher than the quoted price plus 5% of the quoted price, the city has the ability to cancel the order, officials said. Or, the city can choose to pay the quoted price and any charges more than 5% of the quoted price with the company still being responsible for that 5%.
“By taking action today, the city is putting itself in line for purchasing the new pumper,” said City Manager Buzzy Newman.
Henderson Fire Department Chief Josh Dixon said the city currently has another pumper on order which is due here August 2026. He said it is expected that once a pumper is ordered, a department can expect three years for it to be ready.
According to a memo from Dixon, the new fire pumper, a 2027 Pierce Enforcer Pumper, will replace Engine 3, a 2015 Ferrara Pumper currently located at Station 3.
The 2015 Ferrara Pumper will then be designated as a standby apparatus, said Dixon.
Dixon said the department is using two standby engines made in 1999, and safety recommendations advise that the life of those not exceed 20 years.
“They’re at the point where we need to de-commission them,” the chief said.
Commission hires Brandstetter Carroll to compile parks master plan
The commission has been discussing a parks master plan for numerous months. Last week, it approved the hiring of Brandstetter Carroll to compile the plan. The firm will be paid $151,000 to put together the plan.
The Lexington firm was one of five who responded to a request for proposal and one of three who were interviewed by city staff, said Jenna Basham, the city’s project manager.
The work will include surveying current parks and existing plans, reviewing demographics and service gaps, review the past five years of the city’s budget, compare Henderson parks with surrounding cities and cities of comparable size, Basham said.
After the firm collects all this information, Brandstetter will hold meetings with community members. The firm will then put together an action plan and present a document to the city including
Basham said Brandstetter Carroll will begin collecting information right away and community meetings would probably begin when the weather warms up.
Brandstetter Carroll Vice President Pat Hoagland said the work will take about 10 months.
Additionally, a parks master plan steering committee consisting of 15 members was proposed at the meeting. Brandstetter Carroll reps would meet with this group five or six times in the course of the process, Hoagland said.
A proposal of the makeup of the committee would include 15 people, including one city commissioner, two members of the city’s Parks Board, one representative from Henderson County Schools, one representative of the Henderson County Fiscal Court, one representative of the Henderson-Henderson County Joint Planning Commission, one representative from the Henderson Tourist Commission, one representative from the Sports Facilities Companies, one student/youth representative, the city manager, the assistant city manager, the parks director, the city’s project manager, the city’s project coordinator, and one community member at-large.
Commission approves the hire of a company to manage the sports park
The commission unanimously approved the hiring of the company Sports Facilities Companies to manage the day-to-day operations of the new athletic complex on Airline Road.
Assistant City Manager Dylan Ward said the city and SFC would work together to create a budget for the facility. SFC would operate the budget, but the city will retain oversight of the budget and the facility’s operations, Ward said.
“Basically, what they’re doing is managing our money for us,” Ward said. “All the revenue collected is our revenue.”
Part of SFC’s work will be to hire employees. The employees who are hired to work at the athletic complex, however, will be employed by the company and will not be city employees, said City Attorney Dawn Kelsey.
SFC will be paid $17,000 per month, or $204,000 a year, to manage the park, said Ward. The company will also be eligible for 30% of the marketing revenues that it brings in, he said.
Gregg Wisecarver, the regional vice president of SFC, said the company operates more than 70 similar sports parks in the nation. With that, the company has been able to build relationships with groups who run and book tournaments, and because of those connections, Wisecarver believes the company can schedule more tournaments throughout the year than the city could.
Commissioners voiced concerns that costs associated with local youth leagues that will use the facilities would increase. Ward said that wouldn’t be the case, and SFC would work with local league officials.
City hires CrowderGulf LLC to remove debris soon and possibly more work later
The initial round of clearing off debris from early January’s winter storm will be conducted by Mobile, Alabama, company CrowderGulf LLC. It’s a company that specializes in “debris collection, disposal and other services in the event of a natural or manmade disaster,” according to a memo from Newman to the commission. The initial cost will be $250,000, he said. After the initial work, the company will be able to be quickly hired in the future event of another disaster—in some sense, a retainer—said Mayor Brad Staton.
Newman also wrote in the memo, “The recent ice event demonstrates the need for these types of pre-agreement services for any type of disaster.”
Community Park playground equipment to be replaced
The commission approved a contract to replace playground equipment at Community Park. The contract went to Miracle Recreation of KY and TN out of Leitchfield, for $86,191, according to information in the meeting agenda packet.
The contract includes the purchase and installation of the equipment, as well as the resurfacing of the playground, said the city. The playground is designed for children 2- to 5-years-old.
City awards bid for athletic complex’s electronic message board
The commission approved the contract for fabrication and installation of a large sign and message board at the entrance to the new athletic complex. The contract for $54,751 went to Custom Sign and Engineering of Newburgh.
City will use professional engineering services at Barret Boulevard area
The commission approved the hiring of Palmer Engineering of Winchester to complete pad grade work and roadway design for city property along Barret Boulevard adjacent to the new interchange at U.S. 60 and the future I-69. Stated in the meeting, the work would prepare land for future development.
