The Fulton City Council has approved an ordinance accepting a $370,500 grant for improvements at the Elton Hensley Memorial Airport in Fulton.
The council agreed to accept a Federal Airport Block Grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation to widen the taxiway and make storm water improvements at the airport.
The city's share of the $370,500 project is $19,500. The Missouri Department of Transportation is supervising the federal grant. The federal government pays 95 percent of the cost of the project and the city pays the remaining 5 percent.
In other action, the council on Tuesday night decided to purchase futures contracts to lock in 50 percent of the city's natural gas needs for 2012. Earlier the council agreed to purchase all of 2011 natural gas needs with futures contracts.
Members of the council wanted to protect the city from potential natural gas hikes in the future and members agreed to seek additional purchases to lock in prices. The city provides natural gas service to Fulton residential and commercial customers.
The council also approved a lease agreement on the old Wren Oldsmobile auto dealership building. The city acquired the building and had planned to build a new fire station on the site but eventually decided to build the fire station on Tennyson Road.
The city-owned building will be leased to operate two businesses that want to renovate the building. In the showroom area of the old car dealership building a second-hand clothing thrift shop will operate, and a recycling center will operate from the service bay area of the building.
The council also discussed hiring a firm to improve the unused water tower behind Keen Ford.
The tower would be raised 48 feet and then placed into service to store water and improve water service in the area. The council heard a presentation by the Schafer, Kline & Warren engineering firm on various methods to complete the construction project.
A resolution on the proposal is expected to be offered at the next council meeting.