Curbing plan at center of city street project debate

Clarendon Aldermen debated curbing plans for streets slated to be paved this year during their regular meeting last Tuesday, January 14.

City voters in May of 2012 approved a bond election that authorized $700,000 for street improvements, but the project was delayed when the board of aldermen later authorized an additional $700,000 in tax revenue notes to replace water and sewer lines under the targeted streets.

At last week’s meeting, Mayor Larry Hicks and city engineer Clayton Scales of KSA Engineers presented aldermen with plans for curbing for the street project. As presented, the project would narrow the streets down to 32 feet wide and use mostly “rollover” curbs to define the streets.

Scales said about eight feet of existing street in some areas would be left between the rollover curb and existing curbs. Hicks said that pavement would be left as intact as possible to let people continue to park there and that the city would repave that area at a later time.

Alderman Sandy Skelton balked at the idea of narrowing streets and focused his attention on Third Street leading up to the First Baptist Church.

“I want to please the citizens,” Skelton said. “I think Third needs to be as wide as it is between Koogle and Allen streets. I want to keep that width with the curbs.”

Hicks said wider streets will increase the cost of the project but said the decision was up to the board.

Alderman Doug Kidd also said he did not like the idea of narrowing the streets, and Alderman Larry Jeffers, regarding the plan for “rollover” curb on most of Third Street, said he couldn’t imagine that those property owners would not want a full curb and gutter.

Asked if he knew of any other cities that had narrowed streets with rollover curbing and left old paving behind the curb, Scales said he had not seen this done before.

Skelton also raised concern that new paving on Sixth Street near the ballparks would not withstand flooding and said concrete paving should be considered there.

Scales said the city needs to finalize its plans soon in order to get the curbing in place in time for the paving season. The plan calls for city workers to do the excavating needed for the curbs and to do all the base work for paving of the streets. Hicks said the city will have to add more help to be able to stay ahead of the contractors.

The curbing plans presented last week includes Sixth Street from Koogle to Goodnight; Third Street from Allen to Bugbee; Allen Street, from Third to Fifth; Carhart Street, from Sixth to Fourth; and Wood Avenue from Jackson to Faker.

The project also includes seal coating Clarendon Avenue from Bugbee to its west dead end (along the south side of the Clarendon College campus) and Regent Avenue from US 287 to Clarendon Ave., up the middle of the CC campus.