Homestead Council discusses placement of William Krome statue

Work is progressing on a new bronze statue of William Krome that will likely be placed in the plaza in front of city hall. During the August 6th Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, the Homestead City Council discussed progress on the 8-foot-high statue of one of the founders of the city. They listened to an update on options for placement of the statute.

The sculpture was designed by artist Lee Leuning and a foundry in South Dakota is now in the process of producing the statue. Six options are being discussed, abase still needs to be designed for the statue. Artist Leuning provided some suggestions on the placement of the statue. He told the council he wants the statue to be accessible to the public so everyone who visits City Hall can see it.

Council members also made some suggestions on areas where the statue would best be placed. They agreed that the statue should be placed in a location where most people can see it. There was also discussion on the foundation for the statue.

Also, the council gave approval to a contract with Dataprose for utility billing and printing. The council agreed that a contract is needed for an emergency response catering service. It agreed to a contract with a job application software provider. This contract would move much of the application process for city positions online.

There will be a special call meeting on Friday, August 9th and a budget workshop on August 13th. Council member Larry Roth said it is important to not raise the millage rate, but to increase various city services. During a recent meeting, he addressed representatives from various state legislatures and expressed concern about the dramatic increase in property insurance.

He believes efforts should be made at the state level to make property insurance rates more reasonable. Also, during the COW meeting August 6th, the city council agreed to spend $391,000 to replace the roof on the William Dickinson Community Center on Krome Avenue and 16th Street.