“We’ve got it in the budget,” said Mayor Chris Peck. “We just need to decide on what we want to do.”
Curious about the placement of the sidewalk, Councilman Bert Robinson questioned what could be voted on.
“Do we have any say in the decision of which side of the road it’s on?” he asked.
Peck informed the council of how the plan was initially thought out.
“The original plan was to put it on the south side, but it’s up for discussion if anyone believes otherwise,” he said.
Robinson mentioned a potential problem with the south side location.
“I just thought that it may interfere with more landscaping and brickwork on that side as opposed to the other,” he said.
City advisor John Waggoner voiced his reasoning for the location.
“The south side would just be more practical to put it on,” he said. “It would take more work and would most likely end up costing more in the long run.”
Councilman Tim Wyatt suggested a way to accurately compare the two options.
“Can we get a bid for both sides of the road?” he asked.
Peck, agreeing with Wyatt’s suggestion, called the discussion to a close.
“We’ll just get bids for both sides of the road, and we’ll go with the one that’s cheaper,” he said.
In other matters Aug. 2, the council unanimously decided to adopt the millage rate of 3.5 mills for 2011.
“It will be about $800 less than what we did last year,” said Peck. “We’re still doing pretty good moneywise though, and this shouldn’t break us.”
A new section of roof and set of gutters are needed to stop a leaking problem that has been occurring at the old school building. Trees located at the corner of the depot and around the old school are set to be removed, due to the potential hazards their growth has created over time.
“The roots of the one here at the depot have become wrapped around both the water and gas lines,” said Peck. “And the one at the old school needs to be taken care of before the winter comes and something happens that will cost us more money in the long run!”
The council agreed to begin looking for a hydrologist to help locate a future site for a new city well.
A chamber of commerce membership has once again been extended to the city of Colbert at the price of $668.
“Before we pay this, and I’m not saying that we’re not, I would like to investigate exactly what kind of benefits our city will be receiving for paying that amount of money,” stated Peck.
With only one house within the Colbert city limits located in a flood plain, the council unanimously decided to adopt a flood plain ordinance from FEMA that allows residents to obtain flood insurance.
“If we do not adopt this resolution, then no one can get flood insurance inside the city limits,” said Peck. “But if we do adopt it, then anyone that wants it can get it!”
The old fire hall is in desperate need of a complete electrical rewiring.
“It got through the 4th of July, but the electricity is basically tapped out and I don’t know how many other events it would make it through,” said Peck.
City attorney Dale Perry added: “It needs to be fixed before the fire hall becomes a fire hazard.”
Councilman Robinson then took time to inform the council that the fire department had recently changed its phone number to 706-788-2002.
The September council meeting will be pushed to the 13th to avoid any conflictions with Labor Day. Also, as a final note, Waggoner thanked the city for their hard work in the renaming of Hwy. 72 as “John Waggoner Parkway,” and stated that he was “still extremely honored to have that done.”
