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COLUMBUS — The Feb. 26 City Council meeting saw the Council move on a variety of actions including confirming the terms of three councilmembers who will be uncontested during the May Municipal elections and a recognition for the library after achieving a major milestone.
Councilmembers Paige Sciba, Michael Ridlen and Chuck Rankin will continue their posts for the next two years following this election year as they enter uncontested elections for their position. Representing places 3, 4 and 5 respectively, the trio includes the two newest additions to the City Council as Sciba and Rankin were both elected for the first time in 2022.
Rankin first won the Place 5 seat in 2010 and was reelected in 2022 prior to this uncontested election year.
Constable Richard LaCourse gave an update on the Holiday Inn flooding to the council as the city and contractors prepare to act on a plan to bring the business back to operation.
The entire hotel flooded on Feb. 5 after a roofing contractor accidentally burst the waterline connected to the sprinkler system. The resulting flooding damaged carpet, dry wall and electrical work throughout the hotel.
Each of these issues will be solved in time, but the current course of action is to return sections of rooms to working order piece-by-piece. Code enforcement would allow the Holiday Inn to continue their operations in only the rooms that have been repaired and cleared through city and state codes. There is no timeline for when the hotel will be back to 100% capacity.
In other news, the Mansfield Building located at 930 Travis St. Is likely to be put up for bid in the coming weeks. The Council resolved to start looking into advertising in local and out-of-county newspapers. Bidding cannot officially begin until the notice has been published. The Mansfield building, formally the Columbus Library, has been open and maintained as a community meeting facility.
The current library in Columbus, Nesbitt Memorial, celebrated a major milestone in view of the Council and other attendees. Librarian Susan Chandler displayed the plaque received by the Library for the Achievement of Excellence Award. Given to the library by the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association, the award distinguishes Nesbitt Memorial as a top-tier community library.
Along with the plaque, Nesbitt Memorial received a letter of congratulations, a digital medal, press releases and promotional tips.
The City Council will return to action on Tuesday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m.
