Translating services outsourced

    A need for Spanish translating within the police department led the Holyoke City Council to approve the future use of Telelanguage services at its Tuesday, May 2, meeting.
    Telelanguage provides immediate interpretation over the phone for its customers.
    Police Chief Doug Bergstrom told the council that the police department often has trouble reaching local translators when they need interpretation, especially late at night or on the weekends.
    Sgt. Mark Werts researched different phone interpretation services before suggesting Telelanguage. The service is available 24/7 and costs 72 cents per minute for Spanish interpretation. Other languages, including sign language, are available for an additional fee.
    The service will be available for other City departments, including the clerk’s office and rec department, in addition to the police department.
    
Summer coaches hired
    Rec director Victoria Timm brought her recommendations for summer baseball coaches to the council Tuesday night.
    Trevor Dalton was hired as head baseball coach for $2,000. Assistant coaches hired are Taylor Mayden and Sam Distefano at $1,500.
    Timm reported that at the time of the meeting, there were only enough girls registered to have one softball team. Since coaching stipends are based on the number of teams being coached, the council approved salaries based on softball enrollment. Timm said Monday, May 8, that there is only one team. Sherman Kage was hired as the head softball coach at $800, and Veronica Beavers was hired as the assistant softball coach at $600.
    Timm told the council that the rec department has partnered with the Holyoke Fitness Club to host a 5K at Dandelion Daze Saturday, June 17. She also found a 1998 Golden Plains Recreation Center master plan and is planning to partner with GPRC to evaluate what community recreation goals have been met and set new goals.
    
On-call pay raised
    City utility employees’ on-call pay has been raised from $100 to $125 per week on call. The last increase was January 2009.
    The question of increasing on-call compensation came up after the council approved paying a stipend of $35 per month to City employees who use their personal cellphones for business calls, effective March 1.
    City Superintendent Mark Brown reported that all of the on-call employees opted out of the stipend except one, due to the Open Records Act.
    Paying an additional $24 per on-call week comes out to the same cost as the cellphone stipend would have, so it was suggested as an alternative way to compensate those City employees. Council member J.C. Peckham moved that they make it a $25 increase, and the motion was carried unanimously.
    
Officials report
    Brown reported several trouble calls to the electric department for private residences. Jason Redman attended Hotline School. Crews continue to rod sewers, replace damaged utility poles, drag streets and alleys, and pick up fallen branches.
    Sod has been laid on graves at the cemetery, and several loads of rock have been delivered for seal coating already.
    Brown also reported that Josh Skelton of Dickinson Land Surveyors delivered the final maps and digital copies of them to the City.
    Bergstrom reported the Holyoke Police Department handled or generated 187 calls for service from April 13-26. They made two arrests, wrote seven citations and six reports, and gave out 23 warnings, including code enforcement, who handled two animal complaints, four dogs at large and five ordinance violations.
    Bergstrom also reported to the council on the April 24-25 FBI raids that he and Werts assisted with, resulting in several drug-related arrests from Wray to North Platte, Nebraska.
    
Fire, police needs discussed in work session
    Immediately after the meeting adjourned, the council held a work session to discuss the need for new fire and police department facilities.
    The old power plant in the 100 block of North Baxter Avenue was suggested as a potential site for a new building. From the alley, north, the half block is available.
    Since backup generators housed there no longer provide power to an emergency tornado shelter, there is no need to keep them there, and Brown will begin to look for interested buyers.
    Council members discussed whether combining the fire and police departments in a new building would be an option and whether there is grant money that could help fund it.
    Brown noted that if the City builds a new fire department, he would like to see the existing site sold, creating an opportunity for commercial growth in the downtown location and adding funds for new construction.
    Building an addition to the current police department is still being considered as an option to meet that department’s need for more space.
    The City will consult with University of Colorado School of Engineering about conceptual plans.
    
Other business
    In other business at the May 2 meeting, the council:
    —Changed City employees’ health insurance coverage to a plan with a $1,500 deductible. This is a change from the $1,000 deductible that they previously had, but employees still have the option to stay at that level and pay the difference themselves.
    —Renewed the liquor license for KarDale’s Restaurant and Lounge.
    —Approved a travel request for City Clerk/Treasurer Kathy Olofson to attend two liquor training sessions.