The Clarendon Board of Aldermen were meeting in called session to discuss water lines as the Enterprise went to press Tuesday night after the topic generated comments at last week’s regular meeting.
Following a public hearing last week on the city’s application for a state grant to replace an aging main sewer line, Alderman Kyle Davis inquired as to why a grant couldn’t be applied for to replace water lines in problem areas of the city. A representative of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission responded that grants are most likely to be awarded in neighborhoods with the low incomes.
As the meeting drew to a close, Davis again brought up water issues and asked if residences in the west side of the city were all tied in to new water lines yet.
Interim Administrator Phyllis Jeffers replied that the city only had two men to do that work and discussed some of the delays they have had in working on that.
Several aldermen said they understood the constraints of time and being understaffed, but they expressed a desire to see more attention paid to tying into the new lines.
“I have been chewed out royally about it,” Alderman Larry Hicks said, noting that there are many residences with black pipe stubbed up in their yards.
Alderman Will Thompson said he thought addressing water concerns should be more important that some other activities from a health perspective.
Jeffers explained that if the city pulled more resources to address the water issues other work around the city could suffer, but also said she would speak to the city engineer about the possibility of hiring a contractor to finishing tying things together.
In other city business last week, the Board of Aldermen took the following actions:
Approved a resolution authorizing the application of a $275,000 grant for sewer line replacement; Approved a new five-year contract for law enforcement with the Donley County Sheriff’s Office; Approved a request for a curb cut at 621 S. Leroy Street; and Approved allocations from the Motel Bed Tax Fund of $5,000 each for the Buck’N Blowout Rodeo and the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff.
The board also voted to change the time and location of its regular meetings, which will now be held on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Burton Library.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.