Sunset Park on 16th Street will be getting new playground equipment. Orange City Council Tuesday approved spending $41,000 for the items from PlayPower LT Farmington. Public Works Director Jim Wolf said the playground will be similar to the one by the Shangri La parking lot on Twentieth Street.
The council approved several large purchases that were included in the new budget year, which started October 1.
Money for the Sunset Park playground is coming from federal Community Development Block Grants because the park is in a low-income area. The city is also planning a small skate park at the site.
District 2 Councilman Wayne Guidry asked if the city could save the $41,000 and add more money next year to get more equipment. He said Sunset Park is on Sixteenth Street, the major thoroughfare into the city.
City Manager Dr. Shawn Oubre told Guidry the current playground at Sunset Park needs to be replaced for safety reasons. If the city waited a year, the old playground would need to be removed and then children would not have a place to play.
The playground equipment and other purchases are being made through government cooperatives that get low prices from vendors.
The city is also getting three utility pickup trucks for $74,722 and a $33,783 Kubota mini-tractor from Beaumont Tractor. A new street sweeper is costing $163,950 from Kinlech Equipment and Supply.
Council awarded 10 contracts for demolitions of dilapidated houses. Troy Ceaser won six of the contracts, Michael Manshack is getting two contracts, and the Lark Group plus C & C Demo are each getting one contract. The demolitions total $25,900.
The houses are at 1207 11th Street, 2315 Alden, 2409 Riverside Drive, 705 Center Street, 6 Putnam Avenue, 1909 Louisiana Street, 1111 Burton Avenue, 1601 Curtis Avenue, 1312 Burton Avenue and 2216 Westway Drive.
City Planning Director Kelvin Knauf said the city tries to get owners to repair substandard houses and gives them time for repairs. Then, the city goes through a court process to get a demolition order. Each piece of property will have a lien on it for the cost of the demolition. If the property is sold, the city will get the money back.
Orange City Council Tuesday also unanimously rejected a proposal to let a second ambulance service operate within the city limits.
Acute Medical Services LLC, which is based in Texas, requested the council give permission for the company to provide emergency and non-emergency ambulance service.
Orange, along with other cities and Orange County, has had exclusive contracts with Acadian Ambulance Service since 2006. That was the year the non-profit Orange County Ambulance Service disbanded.
Jody Meads, director of Acute Medical Services, told the council he is a 1991 graduate of West Orange-Stark High School and he wants to come back to his hometown. Acute Medical Services provides ambulance service in the Houston and Dallas areas. The company is also now operating in Beaumont.
Fire Chief David Frenzel said the city, under state law, can allow ambulance companies to operate. The agreement with Acadian gave that company exclusive rights. Frenzel said the city had issued citations to other services when they refused to cease making calls.
Council members made no comments before voting against a contract with Acute Medical Services.
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