(Posted March 9, 2016)
By Sandi Latimer, Staff Writer
The city of London dipped into the past to choose a new parks and recreation director.
Mayor Patrick Closser announced at the March 3 council meeting that Tammy Braskett is returning as head of the department.
Safety Service Director Joe Mosier said Braskett was chosen from among a large pool of applicants. She served as head of the department from 1992 to 2000. She replaces Tony Brake, who submitted his resignation earlier this year.
“She is a London native and a graduate of London High School,” Mosier said.
For the past 15 years, Braskett worked for Columbus City Schools, serving as athletic director at West High School and International High School. She retired in January then applied for her old job in London.
“We know she will do a great job growing and improving the recreation of the city,” Closser said. “She has a lot of experience and knowledge of the job as well as the city.”
In other news, Closser reported that work is being done to remove the flood plain status from the Jacqueline Drive area. Residents there will receive letters advising them that surveyors will be in the area soon.
Taking the area out of the flood plain, Closser said, means residents will be able to drop unneeded flood insurance. Buying and selling houses in the area also will be easier, he said.
Regarding the condemned building at 16 E. High St., Closser said that once the city gets the results of the asbestos findings, work will begin on demolishing that building.
He also said he wants to get more community service workers through the Madison County court system. Last year the city, the largest municipality in the county, used 5 percent of the available hours. Closser said he plans to increase that percentage this year.
Water Treatment Plant Bids
The London Board of Public Utilities has selected Building Crafts Inc. of Wilder, Ky., to construct the city’s satellite water treatment plant. The company’s bid came in at $6.12 million, well under the estimate of $7.88 million.
BPU received seven bids for the project, ranging from $5.78 million to $8.58 million. Building Crafts submitted the second lowest bid. The company that submitted the lowest bid retracted it after realizing they made an error, said BPU chairman Bill Blazer. The bids were opened on Feb. 18.
On March 17, city council will vote on legislation allowing the mayor to sign the contract with Building Crafts. Construc-tion is expected to take 18 months. The plant should be operational by late 2017.
