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Vienna City Council receives flag for ceremony

Gold Star Family Memorial to be dedicated in November

Photo by Jeffrey Saulton Maj. Floyd Watts, of the West Virginia Air National Guard, speaks about the flag he presented to the city as Vienna City Council members Tom Azinger, left, and Bruce Rogers, right, listen.

VIENNA — When the Gold Star Family Memorial is dedicated in November, one of the flags flown at the ceremony will be one a Vienna native flew over Baghdad, Iraq.

During Thursday’s meeting of the Vienna City Council, a flag was given to the city by Maj. Floyd Watts, of the West Virginia Air National Guard, who was on deployment from Oct. 3, 2015 to Aug. 28, 2016.

Watts said the flag was one of 20 he had with him. He said each flight he made he took two or three with him and placed the flags in the area between the helicopter dashboard and windscreen.

Watts said after every flight he took a picture the flags with the helicopter and he and the crew signed the picture that is given with the flag.

Mayor Randy Rapp said the flag Watts gave the city will be flown at the Gold Star Family Memorial when it will be unveiled and dedicated Nov. 13 in the new Spencer’s Landing.

Rapp said the flag will not be on permanent display at the memorial but it will be on display for a short period of time.

Council accepted a financing package for the purchase of two trucks for the parks department and one for the water department. Steve Black, finance director, said the winning bid was from United Bank for 1.59 percent interest over three years.

Council also approved bids for construction of the addition to the senior citizens center.

Black said the bids were opened Oct. 11. The bidders were Capital Builders, $372,000; Gray Con Construction, $479,500; L and L Contracting, $443,500; Mondo Building, $404,050; Phoenix Associates, $356,381; Ace Construction, $553,290, and Wolfe Creek Construction, $496,172.93.

Black said the budget and finance committee recommended the bid from Phoenix Associates for $356,381. He said the original bid from Phoenix Associates was for $347,305 and a canopy for the front added $8,976 to the total.

Black said there are grant applications pending for the project. If those funds are rewarded, they will go into the capital reserves fund to reduce the city’s portion of the project, he said.

The building will be financed by the sales tax revenues, Black said.

Council approved awarding the bid to Phoenix Associates in a unanimous vote. Rapp said Phoenix officials will have the building up and running in 16 weeks. He said some bidders said it could take as long as six months. The company recently completed the Popeyes restaurant along Grand Central Avenue near the mall, Rapp said.

Council also approved resolutions accepting the justice assistant grant program, authorized soil borings to determine how to remedy flooding and slippage problem areas in the city and approved a hazardous mitigation plan.

In other matters:

* Trick or treat has been scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the city.

* Early voting will begin in city hall council chambers on Nov. 1 to Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 :30 p.m. and on Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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