City turns focus to street job

 The city’s Fifth Street water improvement project has been successfully completed, and workers will now turn their attention to street improvements.

Clarendon Public Works Director John Molder told city aldermen last Tuesday, May 27, that his crew would soon remove old fireplugs and repair some broken concrete in the project area.

The project, which replaced water lines and fireplugs between Bugbee Avenue and Collinson Street was estimated to cost $14,000, and the final cost was $14,370.

Cuts across paved streets have been repaired, but there was an issue with the Bugbee cut after the rain.

Molder said everyone along the new line has good pressure and reports clear water.

“I haven’t heard any complaints,” Molder said.

City workers this week began work on the long-awaited paving plan that was approved by voters in 2012. Work began on Sixth Street, in keeping with what city aldermen were told last Tuesday that the order of work would be Sixth, Parks, Carhart, Jackson, and Third streets.

The city expects the job to take 120 days during the months of June, July, August, and September.

Alderman Sandy Skelton said his confidence in the program had improved since the project’s pre-construction meeting was held, and Alderman John Lockhart inquired if the city would be keeping the new gutters clean. Mayor Larry Hicks said the city will need to look at getting a street sweeper.

In other city business, the board elected Skelton to serve as mayor pro-tem, and city officials passed out budget worksheets. Alderman Doug Kidd said worksheets from employees would keep the board from having to guess what the city actually needs.