Trenton City Council moves forward with backup water well

By Cindy Jo Ayers

Trenton City Commissioners agreed on Monday to award a bid to WPC Industrial Contractors LLC of Jacksonville to construct a new well and water treatment facility at the Trenton City Park.
The City’s latest project is being funded by a Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Community Affairs in the amount of $563,000.
WPC submitted the lowest bid for the project, $550,000.
Mittauer and Associates of Orange Park handled the bid tabulation and bid materials and they will continue to oversee the construction phase of the project.
Once the city enters a construction agreement with WPC it will take 8 to 9 months to complete the new well and water treatment facility.
Other city news included a report by Trenton Fire Chief Everett Heaton. The chief reported the number of calls responded to by the Trenton Fire Department for the past six months. Overall, the department worked five calls in Levy County, 23 calls outside their zone within the county, 24 calls in the city’s zone and 24 calls within the city.
Tom Powell, director of Public Works, reported that the city has received cold patching materials, and workers are currently patching the city streets. Commissioner Randy Rutter reminded the commissioners that they have to somehow find a way to pave the streets in the city that are in really bad shape.
A concerned citizen came before the board asking commissioners to check into a home, which is located at 430 NE 3rd Street; the citizen is concerned that the homeowner may be using the home as a homeless shelter. He said the home is very small and many people are apparently living there.
Diane Rondolet, code enforcement officer, said she had spoken to the homeowner, Holly Morgan and Morgan told her she was running a homeless shelter out of her home.
According to Rondolet, Morgan also said she planned to open a soup kitchen. City Attorney Duke Lang told Rondolet that there are certain restrictions that have to be met including the proper zoning which at this time the home does not have. Rondolet also said there was a travel trailer out back with people living in it. She notified the people that they couldn’t live in a travel trailer within the city limits.
In other news, the city agreed to waive the fee for a temporary use permit for the Gilchrist/Levy Relay for Life which will be held May 7-8 at Trenton High School. Kyle Stone came before the board to make the request.
Gunter Hirsch of the Lions Club International came before the board to tell them that a Lions Club is being formed in Trenton. The first meeting will be April 28 at noon at the Italian Restaurant near the county jail.
The meeting closed with the city commissioners welcoming the new City Manager Taylor Brown.
Brown expressed his appreciation for the position.