FREEBURG — Freeburg Utilities Supervisor Doug Hamacher told trustees at their Sept. 9 meeting that the village received a Level One Assessment Violation following a sample taken of the drinking water.

“When we get that, there is no danger or anything, we just have to pull a repeat sample,” Hamacher reported. “The two repeats also came back as positive.”

The samples were positive for coliform, a type of bacteria.

Hamacher was asked by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to try to determine what might have caused the positive test samples.

“I can’t figure out anything except maybe it had to do with draining the water tower,” Hamacher said.

“That’s really a good possibility,” Mayor Darryl Haller said.

“That’s the only thing I can think of,” Hamacher said. “We will have a year of probation, and if we have another positive sample, it would be a (Level) 2 Assessment Violation.”

“This is a good thing,” Haller said. “I’m glad they are checking on this. I want clean water for our people, and if there is something wrong, we want to know about it.”

Haller said that if a boil order is necessary, it would be for the good of the citizens.

Hamacher said that DNR had not recommended a boil order, but he will continue to monitor the situation.

Freeburg also has three minor violations following a recent DNR drinking water inspection.

“There are three things marked as unsatisfactory on our inspection,” Hamacher reported. “We have 30 days to make the changes.”

One of the violations has the village’s lead ban ordinance wording wrong. DNR sent Village Clerk Danielle Holterman the correct wording, and trustees approved the amended ordinance to comply with the DNR requirements.

DNR also found that the village had not posted a public notice in 2023 and that there was a missing inspection report.

Hamacher posted the public notice around the village and submitted the missing report to DNR.

“I’ll get all of the paperwork turned in, and it will be taken care of,” Hamacher said.

“It sounds like you are on top of things,” said Trustee Scott Knoll.

In other business, trustees approved a budget amendment to cover the cost of the air conditioner purchased for City Hall. The total cost of the air conditioner was over $10,000.

“Originally, we thought it was only going to cost $7,000,” said Clerk Holterman. “They did not discount it, but they did give us a donation of $3,200.”

Mayor Haller was very appreciative of the donation from Theram Pro.

Trustees approved moving $11,000 out of the budget line item for asphalt, since the village does not plan to complete any asphalt work this year, and putting it in the line item for others, which will cover the cost of the air conditioner.

• Trustees were concerned that there was no set schedule for BlackRoads Group to seal the village streets.

“They are coming, but they didn’t give me an exact time,” Hamacher said.

“We’re one of their best customers,” Haller said. “It’s going to get too late, and the work is not going to get done this year. We need it done.”

Hamacher warned that the company may not be able to be in Freeburg until October.

“Get us a date,” Haller said.

• Mayor Haller also asked if the pickleball court was completed.

“It’s not quite done,” said Hamacher, who had problems setting the poles to hold the nets in the existing concrete.

Hamacher insisted that people could use the courts already, but it didn’t look as good as it should, and he was looking for options to get the poles set straight.

“Get it done,” Haller said.

Haller added that if Hamacher needed any help, he just needed to ask.

• Haller updated the board regarding the incident that had happened in the village park, where a child had been injured.

“A kid cut their hand on a piece of metal,” Haller said.

Village Attorney Nathan Nickolaus asked if the incident had been turned into insurance for a claim.

“Yes,” Haller said. “We haven’t heard anything in forever, and now they are telling us a claim is open and it involves a child with an injury and scarring.”

“The attorney is going to move slowly on this,” Nickolaus warned. “You don’t have to do anything. They have three years to make a case. When you operate a park, someone is going to get hurt.”

“I agree 100 percent,” Hamacher said.

“You can do things to minimize that,” Nickolaus continued. “This is just standard insurance stuff.”

Nickolaus advised trustees to let the insurance company handle the incident.

• Trustees approved a license for a new business named Freeburg Social, an event planning and hosting business.

• Mayor Haller and Clerk Holterman will work together on the insurance renewal. Holterman had noticed that there were a few discrepancies in the renewal, including the number of employees the village has on staff and the types of equipment they have. The two will review the initial renewal and return it to the insurance company to be updated.

• Trustees approved the following outstanding bills for September: general ($19,561.90), sewer ($468.94), wastewater and sewer project ($38,424.25), and water ($1,058.95).

• Freeburg had the following ending account balances: purchasing ($437.38), sewer checking ($10,869.70), general revenue checking ($9,896.30), sewer money market ($390,038.65), general revenue money market ($492,566.21), wastewater and sewer project ($142,273.20), water ($15,023.94), water replacement ($245.97), and water money market ($999,350.31).

• Freeburg had a 3% water loss for July. The village pumped a total of 1,437,586 gallons of water and billed 1,297,400 gallons of water.

• The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m.