| Child restraint seats promoted at UC meeting | | Posted: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 9:03 pm
| | By DONNA RYDER
Associate Editor
In America, the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 12 is car accidents.
Many of the fatalities could have been prevented if the children had been properly restrained. And, in cases where children are restrained, 75 percent of the car seats are not properly used.
In an effort to educate parents about the deadly statistics, Union City Mayor Terry Hailey signed a proclamation for Child Passenger Safety Week and read into record that proclamation during Tuesday’s Union City Council meeting.
In Tennessee, the law requires children who are younger than age 1 or who weigh less than 20 pounds to be restrained in rear-facing infant seats. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 who weigh more than 20 pounds should be placed in forward-facing infant seats. When children are between the ages of 4 and 8 and are shorter than four feet, nine inches they should use a booster seat. All children younger than 8 should be placed in the rear seat of the vehicle, if available, and the rear seat is recommended for those ages 9-12.
National Seat Check Day is set for Sept. 24. For additional information, visit www.nhtsa.gov.
In other business, the council:
• Awarded Cooper Electric the contract service for maintenance on the City Hall heat and air system at a cost of $2,525 per year and $47.50 per hour for hourly work for two years, with an option to extend to a third year. Only two bids were received.
• Awarded Harris Property Management the contract to clean City Hall at a cost of $13,598 per year. City manager Kathy Dillon said the company currently provides this service, but she thinks the service “has been lacking.”
She said she hopes having a contract, where the city can spell out exactly what it expects, should help. Only two bids were submitted.
• Awarded a bid for construction of the Shorty Shields Wastewater Pumping Station and Force Main to Barsto Construction of Huntingdon in the amount of $167,719. Five bids were submitted.
• Asked that Planning and Codes check on the burned out homes in Union City and asked about unlicensed automobiles in Union City.
Ms. Dillon said she believes all vehicles have to be licensed, whether they are parked in a drive-way or not. She said if there are concerns, residents need to call City Hall.
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Associate Editor Donna Ryder can be contacted by email at dryder@ucmessenger.com. Published in The Messenger 9.7.11 | | | | |
