City commission approves agreements

A professional services agreement with CloudCorp and management agreements with Broadway Plaza and the Brown Grand Theatre were approved by the Concordia city commission during its regular meeting on Wednesday.
CloudCorp executive director Kim Reynolds presented the 2020 professional services agreement to the commission during the meeting.
The city's payment to CloudCorp for services is $58,000, which is the same amount as 2019. Half will be paid in February and half will be paid in July.
Under the agreement, CloudCorp agrees to provide programs and services to businesses and industries expanding or locating in Cloud County, especially in Concordia that include:
Local demographic and infrastructure information; feasibility studies and business information surveys; facilitation of accounting, consulting, engineering and legal services; general project development and facilitation with local businesses, community leadership and citizens; information concerning local business retention and recruitment programs; facilitation of local, federal and state economic development programs; facilitation of Cloud County Opportunity Zones; facilitation of grant application processes; facilitation of Revolving Loan Fund applications; Review and make recommendations to the city and county governments concerning said applications; and publicly present and support economic development projects.
Commissioner Sam Sacco suggested amending the agreement with CloudCorp to pay the fee monthly for six months, and then evaluate the agreement.
“And  then if we are really pleased with what we have got going on, then we pay the rest of the money right away,” Sacco said, “By going monthly the first six months we are keeping the program going, because it is important, there is no doubt about it. At the same time, we have the tax payers we have to relate to.”
The agreement was approved unanimously by the commission as presented.
The 2020 Broadway Plaza management agreement was approved by the commission as presented.
Reynolds said the agreement was reviewed and approved by the CloudCorp board.
The city agrees to pay a management fee of $15,000 per year to CloudCorp as the manager.
Broadway Plaza director Jessica Brucken provides an annual report to the city commission in July of each year as part of the agreement.
The commission also approved the 2020 management agreement with the Brown Grand Theatre.
The city and Brown Grand Opera House, Inc., the management corporation, first entered into an agreement in 1975 to set forth the parameters of operation and management of the theatre, which is owned by the city. The agreement was last updated January 1, 2013.
City manager Amy Lange said that recent discussions regarding desired improvements to the theatre by the management corporation revealed that clarifications to the agreement were needed to provide better guidance to both the city staff and management corporations.
It is stated in the changes to the agreement that the city owns the building, and therefore should be responsible for the maintenance of the building envelope and primary building systems for the purposes of protecting the investment within the building.
The agreement also states that the management corporation shall be responsible for the daily and preventative maintenance of the building and its systems and that because the city owns the building and management corporation acts as the tenant, improvements or modifications with potential impacts to the building envelope, occupant load, exiting, structural changes or utilities consumption should be endorsed by the city commission prior to the changes being made.
Also approved by the commission during the meeting was a low bid from Snavely Excavating, Concordia, of $3,420 for the demolition of structures and trees at 516 East Second St.
The owners of the property deeded it over to the city when it became obvious to them they couldn't clear the property themselves.
The scope of the work includes disposal of demolished materials and filling the void of the structure's basement upon completion of the demolition.
A bid from Snavely Excavating  of $12,635 for the demolition of a condemned property at 603 Matthew St. was approved by the commission.
The city commission condemned the property following a public hearing on September 18. The resolution gave the property owner 45 days to have a plan in place to start the process to either fix or remove the structure.
Bids were solicited for demolition of the house and uncontrolled growth on the property.
The project costs will be funded through the demolition program or other encumbered funds to help preserve the demo money for 2020. Immediately following the payment of all invoices, the project costs will be assessed to the property owner, who has 30 days to pay the bill. If the bill is not paid, the project costs will be assessed to the property.
The commission approved reappointing Ryan Cairns to another three-year term on the Housing Authority Board.
The commission voted to affirm the exempt property status for PrairieLand Partners LLC.
In 2020, the 10-year industrial revenue bonds with PrairieLand Partners LLC will expire, at which point the city will begin collecting taxes on the property.
During her quarterly report, Reynolds updated the commission on the Get in the Cloud Small Business Grant program administered by CloudCorp.
Total costs spent on projects that received Get in the Cloud funds is $4.877 million. Only $213,000 has been spent on vendors or merchandise outside the county.
Of the 41 projects provided funding 20 of them have been inside the Concordia city limits, and all of those businesses are still in operation.
“I feel like the Get in the Cloud committee has done a very good job of utilizing and awarding those grant funds,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds reported that CloudCorp is currently working on a business expansion project and on two business retention projects.
One of the retention projects closed last week which enabled five and half jobs to stay in Concordia.
The other retention project is expected to close soon, and will retain 14 jobs.
Reynolds said they are actively working on finding a buyer for the Heavy's Steakhouse & BBQ building in Concordia.
The commission met in executive session for 15 minutes with Lange for the purpose of discussing non-elected personnel. No action was taken.