Garbage and fire truck among topics at Feb. 16 council meeting

At its meeting on Thursday, Feb.. 16, the Port Aransas City Council discussed garbage pickup, a fire truck and new rules involving the skate park and Airport Advisory Board. GARBAGE PICKUP

The council voted 6-0 to authorize City Manager Robert Bradshaw to renegotiate a contract with Allied Waste, the company that provides garbage and recycling pickup service to Port Aransas residents. (Councilman Charles Bujan was absent.)

A five-year contract with Allied Waste is set to expire in December. Bradshaw said Allied Waste has agreed to extend the contract another three years, with a guarantee of no cost increases for the next two years.

“We think it’s a good deal for us,” Bradshaw said.

Allied Waste provides garbage pickup for businesses in Port Aransas too, but that is not done by contract with the city. Allied Waste sets up individual contracts with businesses, one at a time, without city government getting involved. AIRPORT ADVISORY BOARD

The council voted 5-1 to approve, on second reading, an ordinance that would change the requirements for membership on the city’s Airport Advisory Board.

The proposal is that at least four members of the five-member board be qualified voters of the city and that one may be a non-resident. To be a qualified voter, one must be a city resident.

Currently, no members of the airport board have to be Port Aransas residents, and the board has had a number of members in the past who didn’t live here.

Councilman Keith Donley voted against the proposed ordinance.

The measure must pass two more readings by the council to become law. SKATE AREA

The council voted 6-0 to pass, on second reading, a proposed new ordinance that would ban bicycles in the skate area at Port Aransas Community Park.

Bic ycles alre ady are against city rules at the skate area. Creating a new ordinance would take things up a notch, making it illegal to ride a bicycle there. It would be a Class C misdemeanor that can be punished by a fine up to $500.

City officials have said they’re concerned that the many youngsters who ride bicycles in the skate area’s concrete bowls could cause injuries if they collide with skaters. FIRE TRUCK

The council voted 6-0 to authorize Bradshaw to approve the purchase of a new brush truck for the Port Aransas Volunteer Fire Department.

The truck will replace one that was destroyed by a grass fire after its engine died in October last year. No one was hurt.

The city is getting at least $10,000 in insurance money for the truck, which was a 1972 model, according to City Secretary Esther Arzola. The council’s action will allow staff to spend up to $20,000 in addition to the $10,000 in insurance money.

Fire Chief Dwight Kirkpatrick said he plans to buy a five-ton decommissioned military truck from a federal surplus property program. It’s a 1984 model, but it has only 823 miles on it, he said.

The city will have to pay for the cost of having the truck fitted with a water tank, pump, emergency lights, radio and other equipment, Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick estimated that the truck’s total cost, including the outfitting, will be about $18,500. He said it will be at least two months before the truck is ready to be put in service.

Questions? Comments? Contact Dan Parker at (361) 749-5131 or dan@portasouthjetty.com.