WINNSBORO – Town Council Tuesday night gave the nod to two capital expenditure requests, while also agreeing to consider beefing up security at Town Hall.
Approving requests that passed through a Finance Committee meeting earlier in the evening, Council OK’d $90,000 for the Water and Sewer Department to purchase various pieces of equipment and to repair equipment still in service. One of these pieces, a flash motor, used in the coagulation process at the water plant, has been in service since 1989. No longer serviced by its manufacturer, the mixer is need of a new motor.
Council also approved the Water and Sewer request for $8,995 for a new pump at lift station 15 (Isola pump station). Pete Duty & Associates, of Hillsborough, N.C. submitted the lowest bid on the pump by nearly $1,000.
Councilman Clyde Sanders then suggested that Council explore a security system for Town Hall, which he said was “wide open” during business hours and when Council was in session. With the only offices in Town Hall now located upstairs since the relocation of the utilities billing offices to Washington Street, no one is on hand to monitor traffic in and out of the ground floor.
“I would like for us to look at putting a security system in this building so that you would have to have a card or a pass code to get in,” Sanders suggested, “or either you have to get permission from somebody to enter the building. I know we’re a small town and nothing happens much, but it’s a crazy world out there. Anybody can walk in and do anything.”
Sanders made the motion for Council to seek bids to explore what the costs for a security system at Town Hall would be. Stan Klaus seconded the motion and Council unanimously agreed (Councilman Danny Miller was absent).