John Scarffe, Black Hawk.  Mayor David Spellman and three aldermen took their oath of office for new terms during the Black Hawk City Council regular meeting on Wednesday, April 13, at 3 p.m., at 211 Church Street. The Council also amended the 2015 budget.

Honorable Judge Ronald V. Carlson swore in Spellman and Paul G. Bennett, Gregory D. Moates and Benito Torres. All signed Oath of Office certificates for four-year terms.

Patty Torres, Benito’s wife, thanked the Council for all of their work and presented each Alderman and the Mayor with a corsage and boutonnieres made in the Lakota Indian way using natural flowers from the Black Hawk area.

“These are very nice, absolutely beautiful,” Spellman said. Patty said she had also hand made the floral arrangements for the couple’s wedding, and it took her three months to complete them.

During the Council’s February 10, the aldermen approved a resolution canceling the April 5, 2016 election and declaring the four candidates for the City Council elected. The City had received the same number of candidate petitions and write-in affidavits as the number of offices to be filled at the April election as of the sixty-third day before the election, according to the request for Council action. The four Council members elected were still serving current terms, Spellman has served on the Council for 28 years, and as mayor from June 1, 2006 to the present. He served two terms as alderman from April 1, 1986 to April 4, 2006.

Bennett has been on the Council for 11 years from April 14, 2004 to the present. Moates has served for seven years from April 28, 2008 to the present and Torres for three years from April 25, 2012 to the present.

Finance Director Lance Hillis introduced a resolution to amend the City’s 2015 Budget. Hillis said this amendment relates to bond interest, a capital project in the Water Fund, and closing out the Cemetery Fund to move the money over to the Historic Preservation Fund.

The amount budgeted for the 2014 bond interest was $56,427, but the bonds remained taxable and increased the rate by $26,698, totaling $83,125. Completing construction of the Dory Hill Water Treatment Plant cost $1.2 million, and the City closed out the cemetery fund, transferring $103,000 to the preservation fund.

Senior Civil Engineer Matt Reed introduced a resolution awarding the bid and approving the construction of the R.A. Clark Emergency Operations Center Project to Roche Constructors, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $1,662,700. Reed said the Council awarded the design contract to Roche Constructors in July 2015, with the intent of performing the work as a design and build project, and already has a building permit in hand.

Mayor Spellman pointed out that $1.5 million was originally budgeted, and $1.2 million is an oversight in the budget to be corrected. Reed added that originally the plan was for 3,900 square feet, and it has been increased to 4,800 square feet for a break room and to increase the size of some of the storage areas.

Public Works Director Thomas Isbester said staff will come back to the Council with a budget amendment for the additional amount.

Senior Civil Engineer, Jim Ford, introduced a resolution approving the agreement between the City of Black Hawk and Davis Custom Welding for construction of the Green Lake Pipeline Replacement Project Phase VI, in an amount not to exceed $233,405.

Ford said he was excited that this was the last phase of the pipeline project. He said the project completely replaced the entire turn-of-the century riveted steel pipeline from Leavenworth Creek down to Green Lake.

The City owns 63 percent of the water in the reservoir, and Clear Creek County owns the other 37 percent. Ford said that while this completes the pipeline project, other projects at Green Lake remain, such as the headgate project.

Green Lake was purchased in 2008. The inflow pipeline is about 3,900 feet in length and delivers water to Green Lake from a headgate located on Leavenworth Creek, according to background information.

The previous five phases, 3,270 feet, of the pipeline replacement were completed between 2011 and 2015. This project consists of 630 feet. Davis Custom Welding, which completed the first five phases of the pipeline replacement, was the only contractor to submit a responsive bid, according to background.

Black Hawk will administer the contract and make payments to the contractor. Clear Creek County will reimburse the City for its share of the project. The City’s share will be $146,958.70, and the County’s share will be $86,446.30.

A Council meeting took place on April 27, and the next meeting of the Black Hawk City Council will be at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at 211 Church Street.