Southwest City's board of alderman discussed multiple areas in need of repair during the regular meeting on Tuesday, including the Honey Creek dam, the parking lot at Dave's Supermarket and the sidewalk on Main Street.
Mayor David Blake said the city is still waiting on funds to be reimbursed from unforeseen covid-19 related expenses in order to move forward with the Honey Creek dam repair. Blake promised council members he would have a figure for material costs of the project at the next meeting and said he believes his prevailing proposition of a 24-foot long, 8-inch thick concrete stem wall is worth waiting to do properly.
The council then revisited the issue of holes in the sidewalk and roadway near Dave's Supermarket, on Cherokee Street. In July, a customer fell into one of the divots, effectively making it a public safety issue.
Blake said he met with Billy Cook of Cook Concrete to review the area and receive an estimate for repairs. Blake said 11 feet of concrete will need to be replaced on the east side of Dave's and another 12 feet needs to be replaced on the west side. He said the method they use will allow for future amendments.
Alderman Amber Killion motioned to accept Cook Concrete's bid of $2,650.
Blake then spoke about the sidewalk in front of the Holly building on Main Street, between Dave's Supermarket and the post office. He said that new owners plan to rework the entryway and will need to rebuild the sidewalk out front to do so, adding that this stretch is one of the only areas that has never been repaired. Blake said the owners had expressed interest in splitting the cost of repairs with the city, but he noted the city would need to get quotes for the project and budget for the expense months in advance.
The council also spoke about pursuing grants through DOT to help fund the repairs.
Fire Chief Shane Clark reported that, since the last meeting, the department has responded to six medical calls, one motor vehicle accident, extinguished one grass fire, assisted one agency with a vehicle fire and one agency with a medical call, and conducted traffic control once.
Police Chief Bud Gow reported, since the last meeting, the department has responded to two motor vehicle accidents, assisted with two lock-outs, issued 15 tickets and provided assistance to neighboring agencies twice.
Public Works Director Shane Clark reported that the street department has been steadily mowing grass and patching potholes throughout the town and the water department repaired a leak on south Main Street.
City Clerk Krystal Austen informed the council that she has been sworn in as a notary. She said tax books will be emailed from the county collector and uploaded into Thoroughbred Accounting Software this year, rather than printed. This is expected to cut the cost more than half.
In other business, the council:
• Reviewed the proposed 2020 budget compared to the actual budget and suggested amendments;
• Raised Public Works Director Shane Clark's corporate credit card limit to $5,000 in order to allow for emergency equipment purchases if needed;
• Opted not to add Clerk Austen to the corporate credit card account at this time;
• Agreed to hold a fall cleanup, with the date to be determined;
• Approved a covid-19 expense reimbursement request in the amount of $4,694.67;
• Paid bills in the amount of $7,030.76.