The Noel City Council, at its meeting Tuesday night, discussed a parking lot variance for the new Dollar General store that is coming to town.
Mayor Lewis Davis said city code indicates one parking space per 200 square feet, and Dollar General wanted to have 35 spaces instead of the 53 that would be required by the code. This is the standard for all of their stores, Davis said.
Alderman William Rose said he thought the bigger issue than the parking lot variance was a variance for the back of the property which would allow for there to only be five feet from the back of the property to the fence line.
Davis said he thought Tyson was the only business in the area that might have a problem with the five-foot variance and said he would reach out to Tyson concerning the variance.
Alderman Allie Peck said she was concerned about flooding. Davis said the Dollar General store will be level with Harps, so there should not be any flooding.
The council approved the variances, pending Davis contacting Tyson.
Also Tuesday, the council discussed problems on Hall Ridge Road. Davis said the city does not have the equipment to maintain the road. In the past, the county has maintained it but has stopped doing so. He said he has contacted the county commissioners regarding the road and has not heard back from them. He said he will contact the county again, offer some compensation and hope the county puts it back on the agenda.
Street Superintendent Christopher Craig mentioned there is a 25-foot section of gas line exposed on South Kings Highway where it meets Hall Ridge Road. He discussed with the council a problem with Hall Ridge Road washing out. He proposed putting in large, four-foot-long concrete blocks to redirect the water where it is a problem. He said the blocks would be about $50 each, possibly $100 with shipping, and he would need 10 of them.
Davis directed Craig to see if he could locate some of the blocks nearby and a trucking company to move them and find out how much it would cost. Then, if there is money in the street department's budget, the department could move forward.
Craig also noted the city park is very damaged from flooding, which is a recurring problem. He said it is almost worth looking into another place to put a park.
Wastewater Superintendent Keith Harris reported the channel monster at the wastewater plant failed and he was going to rehab it, but he found out that for $500 less he could get a new one. The price was $18,731. The council approved the expenditure.
General News on 10/17/2019