By RUBY KEARCE
The Ponce De Leon City Council met for its regular meeting on Thursday, Feb 15. Council member George Robertson informed the council that they have received the engineer’s plans for the renovation of the “Old Gym,” and the project will be put out for bid in the coming month. T.J. Gideon III, with HighViz, an area supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) company, then approached the council to offer services and answer questions.
Because this is a software that will, at some point, go out for bid, HighViz is coming in advance to introduce themselves. This device is a low expense monitoring/ controlling system that monitors lift stations, wastewater sites, and water towers. This allows for the city to not need there to be a person in those areas at all times. The equipment only consists of a panel that will be attached to the lift station.
Mayor Shane Busby asked if HighViz ran their services in any other city, as a form of reference. Gideon informed the council that currently their largest client is Enterprise, Alabama Water and WasteWater, with about 15 of their lift stations utilizing their software. Robertson asked Gideon why Jacobs Engineering did not already utilize a software like HighViz.
Gideon said that he can not answer why Jacobs does not offer the service, while another council member stated that it sounded as though Jacobs is more hands on while HighViz is more of a monitoring company. HighViz was then asked to create a proposal for the city to better understand their company and the services they provide.
Fire Chief Doug Remmel approached the council to inform them that there has been another fire engine donated to the Ponce De Leon Volunteer Fire Department. Remmel also announced a Car Show March 16 in Bonifay, and that the department was approved for a $500 grant that will be used for a small generator.
A member of the public, Hans Goering, then approached the council to request another business license to create another business in the area, 850 Nuterion. This business will offer products such as protein powders, pre- and post-workout mixes, and more. Goering explained that the woman spearheading the business is out of Freeport, has a masters degree and is a nutritionist and will be interacting with the community through the store. A motion was passed to approve of Goering’s requested business license.