GOODMAN -- On Tuesday, May 16, the city updated residents on its culvert project which will give residents an idea of the contingencies that are put in place. This will ensure nothing obstructs their day-to-day activities. The city also approved new decal designs for its police department units and one resident petitioned the council to support a recycling program.
Present at the meeting was Mayor John Bunch, alderman Rex Jordan, alderman Clyde Davidson, alderman Clay Sexson, alderman Calvin Wilson and city tax collector Meghan Sexson.
Bunch spoke before residents to inform them of the developments of the culvert project, which is fast approaching.
"The culverts will be delivered on (Wednesday) May 31, at 10 o'clock in the morning," Bunch said. "We have seven semis that are gonna be driving like a wagon train. The police chief is going to try to assist in directing them into town and get them smoothly in and back out. And we're going to stage those culverts at the ballpark ... hopefully they won't be there long."
The city will also strategically place cranes during the project, so they won't interfere with any power lines or cause delays.
The city will soon be accepting bids from contractors to install these new culverts. They are 10 feet wide and weigh roughly "26,000 pounds apiece." Once the city begins accepting bids, contractors will have until June 6 to submit their bids to city hall.
Construction work will begin in July.
Fifteen-year-old resident Emerson Norton informed council members of her aspirations to establish a recycling program within the city. Bunch asked her what does she plan to do with the program and what kind of equipment does she thinks she needs to get started?
"I think we should start off small but I'd like to have recycling like the blue bottle and canned recycling bins at the ballpark," said Norton. "Because I feel like that'd be a good place for it and maybe even people can take (their recycling) from their house to drop it in like a dumpster but for recycling."
To support her idea of recycling, Bunch says he'll look into it and see if the city can use recycle trailers that have separate bins for paper, cardboard, plastic and glass. He agrees with Norton that the location at the ballpark is optimal as it has plenty of space versus the parking lot at city hall.
Norton says she recently traveled to the Gulf of Mexico and witnessed the trash in the ocean. She adds, "I just think it'd be really beneficial and not only for our town but also for the planet."
Other business:
The city has approved the purchase of new decals for the police departments' three units in the amount of $585. It will have the department's name, shield and "In God We Trust" wording. All the units will match to reflect the city's new police department administration.
The city has appointed Calvin Wilson as the Street Commissioner for the city of Goodman.
The city has removed J.R. Fisher, Ed Tuomala and Sammie Jo from all of the city's Bank CDs.