Committee OKs new contract with Newman Signs

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The Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee approved a 15-year extension to the contract allowing Newman Signs to maintain billboards on city-owned property.

The contract allows Newman Signs to operate 12 billboards in exchange for maintaining the overhead traffic sign at the top of Mill Hill and repairing and maintaining the pedestrian shelters below the billboards on First Avenue at the railroad crossing. It also allows the city the use of a billboard west of Lloyds Motors.

Some committee members questioned the value of the pedestrian shelters.

“I’ve never seen anyone use the shelters,” said Pat Nygaard, committee member.

Other members said they felt maintenance to the shelters would improve their use.

“The overhead sign on Mill Hill is a big benefit to the city,” said Ken Schulz, committee member. “Some paint and fixing of the roofs to make the shelters as attractive as possible may improve the use.”

The motion to recommend the contract for approval to the City Council passed unanimously.

The committee also recommended the denial of a reimbursement to a homeowner for cleaning costs after a sewer backup in northeast Jamestown this summer.

The incident resulted from a plug in the city sewer main in the area but an investigation by the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund found no wrongdoing on the city’s part, said Jeff Fuchs, city administrator.

“If we reimbursed all these claims, we would reimburse a lot of people and there would be no reason for people to carry insurance,” he said.

In other action, the Finance and Legal Committee recommended the council:

* revise the job description for the position of Jamestown building inspector to combine the duties of the building inspector and mechanical inspector.

* approve a Flex PACE interest buy-down for Custom Contracting Solutions, Inc. for $10,800 from the Jamestown Sales Tax Fund. The Stutsman County Commission has already approved $43,200 for the buy-down.

* approve the 2010 audit of the city government performed by Schauer & Associates, P.C.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at 701-952-8452 or by email at knorman@jamestownsun.com

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