Many Kenedy residents attended the September 11 city council meeting and council members began by reviewing the selection of an engineering firm to oversee the state grant as discussed at their last meeting.

Three firms were in the final selection group for engineering services. The Thonhoff Engineering Firm won the approval of the council.

Following that, a representative from the Athletic Booster Club of Kenedy asked the council to declare "Fridays in Kenedy to be Maroon Day." It was stated that "this would provide an all-out effort to rally support for all KISD students involved in extra-curricular activities such as athletic teams and show the spirit and pride of the community for our students."

The request was approved.

The council then approved the preliminary plat for Kenedy Junction, LTD, by Bakke Development Corporation to develop a five lot subdivision situated within 8.52 acres of the J.W. Looney survey on the East side of Highway 181 North. The project would include a hotel and a small strip center. It was noted that appropriate access from the highway had been included in the plat.

A request for revision of the usage policy for team practice on the Red Holchak Field, giving the KISD baseball team permission to use the field for practice and home team advantage was brought before the council.

Councilman Felipe Leal pointed out that "a lot of money has been spent to keep the field in good shape" and, in the past "neglect and lack of upkeep when used as requested had created concerns" about the resulting conditions of the field.

Mayor Randy Garza said, "The school has not been able to help financially with the upkeep," and that the "current contract could not be voided without negotiating with the school." He said that, "keeping the field in good playing condition meant that other teams paying fees to use the field helped recoup the costs of its upkeep."

He suggested that a meeting with KISD administrators to look at amending the contract would be necessary. After more discussion, Councilman Ken Reiley’s motion that the council proceed with renegotiating the present contract was agreed upon.

Updates on the progress of removing abandoned/junked automobiles were brought to the council by Jaime Albiar. Since the last meeting, 28 more vehicles had been removed and notices of non-compliance results to proceed after September 30 have been posted in the newspaper.

Registered letters to the remaining property owners involved, notifying of hearings to follow, are set to occur after the September 30 date.

Questions about recovery of the fees for towing the remaining vehicles were discussed. City Attorney Craig McAda said that, "towing companies often agree to compensation through the sale or scrapping of the vehicles." Other alternatives for recouping the cost were also discussed. The council will work to lessen the costs that may be incurred by the city.

Concerning issues of street changes, several citizens asked that a stop sign be removed from Graham road as it was no longer needed. Other citizens were concerned about heavy traffic on area roads involved with water improvement and reverse osmosis facilities being constructed, and the resulting damage by heavy truck traffic on the streets.

Councilman Leal suggested that "a notice in the newspaper be placed to advise the public about the removal of the stop sign on Graham should be posted at least a week before it is removed." The Council agreed. City Manager Reggie Winters then reported that "improvement of sidewalks and the installation of new street lights on Main Street are to begin soon." The cost of this improvement is being paid through TxDOT funds and a downtown beautification grant to the city.

Water well progress was reported by UTSA’s Landon Yosko followed by a report on meter replacement progress by Ray Borroum. Yosko said "the repairs on wells 4 and 6 will require some additional funding to finish rehabilitating these wells."

The results are confirming that work done so far has been effective but that the final repairs to have the two wells up and running will cost about an additional $28,515. With some of the original funding remaining due to the project staying cost effective, an amount of $16,000 would cover the needed additional repairs, provided no other problems are found. Councilman Reiley asked about the timing, "Can the additional repair work be done by the end of the fiscal year?" Landon stated "that it would take about 7-10 days per well and could be close to the October 1 (date) if the weather continues on the dry side." After more discussion, the council agreed to an additional sum "not to exceed $16,000" to finish the repairs on the designated wells.

Borroum then updated the council concerning water meters and that a company "not well known" has proposed a bid to replace the meters needing repair in Kenedy. Borroum is in the process of checking with other communities to learn how well that company worked with them. Councilman Reiley reminded the council that there is a "need to really get this project off the ground."

He said it is to the benefit of the city to have the meters replaced to abate the loss of water revenues as well as the depleting of water resources.

He also asked, "How long it will be after all of the wells are up and running, that water restrictions might be lifted?"

Borroum stated that many factors, including keeping the water standards up to the required level for approval, are involved. He said, "It seems to be an ongoing challenge to obtain success of the goals set for the city."

In its final decision of the evening, a request for the airport board to engage an attorney to move toward the acquisition of Paul Covey property to expand its property was denied by the council. As Mayor Randy Garza stated, "this request is not in the best interest of the city."