Keystone to split bridge project bids

Keystone will split the Roy Street bridge project into two separate bids, according to the most recent town board meeting.

The request is due to the design change to the bridge behind the c-store from a box culvert to a double “t.”

Town engineer Alan Drews said, “We’ve got the design of the bridges done on Roy Street. We ran into a snag, The state is requesting additional scour stuff.” 

While the move will mean paying more in mobilization fees that expense may be offset by more bids early in the season at a lower price.

“Basically you’re going to have two mobilizations fees,” Drewes said. “It’s about 8 percent of the total cost of the project. If you can get one mobilization fee you’re saving money. But you’re also going to pay more if you wait until April to bid because everybody is going to be booked up.”

No work on the bridges can take place between October and April.

“We want to try to get one of them done this year,” Drewes said. The other could be ready for bid in the fall of 2020 for completion in the spring of 2021. 

The museum is courting a new director, according to Jon Veltman, the historical society board president.

“He’s a guy out of Hill City,” Veltman said. “Younger guy. He’s got a college degree. He’s got a museum certificate. I think he’d be a good candidate.”

The museum has also inventoried all of its holdings and has approximately $100,000 worth of assets. The museum will be closed Mondays during the 2020 summer season. 

“We’ve decided we’re going to close on Mondays,” Veltman said. “Monday was our least busiest day.” 

The senior center, which is running strictly on volunteers, is working on creating new bylaws. Friday lunches are drawing about $100 and bingo is “going well,” although attendance is down a little from last year.

Veltman predicts that $6,000 of the center’s $10,000 will be spent on utilities this year. Black Hills Energy gave the center a grant but the center is still waiting to be reimbursed.

The Keystone Chamber of Commerce is “90 percent” done with its financial report from 2019.

“We’re working on making sure there’s a check and balances,” said Leah Serrano.

The chamber plans to bring a draft of a contract for funding to the town board at the next meeting. According to Ann Thompson, the chamber would like to put out a newsletter that will go out on a regular basis. 

The town listened to a request by public sorks supervisor Jerry Przybylski to survey Front Street.

“When we were flushing hydrants up there the other day we tried flushing that hydrant and we found out the valve was broken,” Przybylski said. “The whole road is 12 feet wide and the hydrant sits off at 14 feet. We looked on the map and it actually says our road should be 24 feet wide. So I would like to get that road surveyed. If it is 24 feet wide we can move that hydrant further off the road and actually make that road a road.” 

Przybylski had no idea what the project would cost. The board discussed whether surveys of the street already exist.

Cassandra Ott, town finance officer for Keystone, will research the matter at the registry of deeds.

Przybylski also brought up the recent sewer and water work on Nelson Avenue. There is now a tracer on the pipe and the work was updated on the digital map.

“It’ll be easier to find all that stuff,” Przybylski said.

Przybylski reported that rural water and AE2S met to try to locate the correct pipe to install the inflow meter for the sewer plant project.

The town board approved a building permit and waived the fee for Carolyn Clifford and Marty Hunsaker to erect an 8 x 12 foot chapel in the Keystone Cemetery. The fee was waived since the structure is being built on the town’s property.

Trustee Kwinn Neff read a thank you letter from the Hill City Cub Scout Pack 10 for the donation the Keystone Town Board made.

The library will hold a painting class although no date has been finalized. The library board has reviewed and approved its bylaws.

The first reading of the Supplemental Appropriation Ordinance 2-12-20 took place. The ordinance provides funding for the state parking lot survey expenses, Historical Society agreed upon procedures and for the donations for the flood memorial. 

 The board discussed an unpaid invoice in the amount of $559.94. The invoice was for repair for a fire hydrant on Watson Street that an individual hit. The individual has not paid the invoice and cannot be located.

The board requested town attorney Mitch Johnson try to locate the individual in lieu of taking the invoice off the books.

The next Keystone Town Board meeting takes place on March 4 at 5 p.m.