The Platte City water tower located along Highway 92, just east of town, will receive a needed touchup but look mostly the same, and the project won’t cost the city as much as originally estimated. During the Platte City Board of Aldermen’s public works subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, March 3, the members recommended awarding a contract to Utility Service Company in the amount of $143,900 to paint the structure. The city budgeted $281,000 for the project.

According to public works director Leonard Hendricks, the color scheme will remain tan and brown, but the block lettered “Platte City” will be replaced with a black version of the official city logo. The project will encounter other costs that will come from the same budget, including maintenance and lighting upgrades, but could still come in under budget.

The primer underneath the paint was in satisfactory condition and will not have to be redone. The project might only take a couple of weeks once started.

During the public safety subcommittee meeting on Monday, March 2, the members recommended awarding the city’s towing contract to Express Tow of Platte City. The agreement would be for one year with two option years.

Express Tow replaces All-Star Tow, which held the contract for the past three years.

According to Platte City city manager DJ Gehrt, Express Tow bid 1 cent as the base price for all tows and came in cheaper than All Star Tow on all aspects of the bid. The city tows about 30 to 40 cars a year, mostly after accidents inside the city limits but also including recovered stolen vehicles and vehicles impounded after commission of a crime.

The contracted tow service is required to be available 24 hours a day with a max response time of 20 minutes.

Both recommendations will be up for approval at the full board meeting on Tuesday, March 24.