The City of Danville recently approved an additional $35,000 be paid to HDR Engineering Inc. during Nov. 26’s regular meeting, for additional services to be performed on the city’s wastewater treatment system. The original agreement was approved in February of 2017, at $925,600 for an evaluation and creation of a master capacity plan for future improvements needed to comply with state and federal guidelines.

“This amendment moves them into the actual design process,” said Municipal Utility Engineer Earl Coffey. He said this phase involves improvements specific to the wastewater plant itself and is not a complete renovation. It includes additional services to be included in the facilities plan, per Kentucky Division of Water guidelines and requirements.

“This is part of a multi-phased process … could extend 30-36 months. It’s for reliability, such as the UV disinfection system, for example,” Coffey said, which was put in during the late ‘90s, is more than 20 years old and considered first-generation technology. He said it’s expensive to maintain.

“It’s very high energy consumption with that type of aged technology,” Coffey said.

He said this phase will get the existing plant and system up to a “modern standard, given our demand placed on the structures.”

Coffey said the second phase will be capacity related. He said with it being 20 years since the wastewater plant was last upgraded, “you would expect things to start wearing out.”

Other business

• At 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 12, the City of Danville will hold its annual city commission and staff retreat, this year at the Danville Country Club. The event, open to the public, will focus on “future work issues, priorities, goals and aspirations,” Scott said. 

• The city was awarded a grant for a riparian buffer to be replanted along Clark’s Run, along Second Street where the new bridge will be installed. Staff said the buffer will minimize pollution, improve the area visibly and be plant-ready. Total project cost is $2,070, with the city responsible for $414. Bluegrass Greensource will reimburse for the rest of the cost.

• The city will be changing its domain name from danvilleky.org to danvilleky.gov. The commission unanimously approved the recommendation, initiated by IT Director Nick Warren in order to “move us up in the search engine, giving greater visibility to the city,” Scott said. Currently, the city is paying $100 monthly to retain its domain name; the “gov” change will increase it to $400.

• Three firefighters were pinned as the newest leadership crew for the Danville Fire Department. Fire Chief Ken Pflug said the men stepped up the challenge through testing and interviews, successfully completing them all. They are Lt. Will Ellis; Lt. Matt Groves; and Lt. David Spanyer.

Groves and Spanyer both brought their wives to pin their new shields; Ellis brought his mom, Nellie Ellis.

• A proclamation was signed recognizing Vanessa Ramos as IJM (International Junior Miss) Miss Bluegrass State Jr. Teen winner. Ramos, a student at Boyle County Middle School, won the competition in October, and will move on to represent the state of Kentucky and City of Danville at internationals in Orlando in July.

• City Manager Scott asked the commission to approve a new personnel policy allowing employees of the city to sell back up to two weeks of unused vacation time. He said a number of cities are beginning the policy due to employees asking for more compensation.

The first reading of the ordinance passed unanimously. Only employees who have been with the city for at least two years and are in good standing would be able to take advantage of the benefit.