Mayor Tom Holt would like to see the remaining lots in Rolling Acres Subdivision sold.
The city helped build the subdivision in 1977, he stated, and some thirty years later, 14 lots are still undeveloped.
Because of some restrictive covenants in the deeding, no one property owner can purchase two adjoining lots at this time. And some of the leftover lots are an odd shape for building, some council members noted. “I would be against any covenant change which would detract from the (current) property value,” the mayor said. “But, I believe we should do anything we can do to sell those lots.”
To amend covenants, and ultimately sell the lots, would require the majority vote of landowners. Because of the number of current homeowners who have shown interest in purchasing adjacent lots, the city has formed a committee who will further review the city’s options and bring a recommendation back to the council in June.
Those serving on committee are: Nicky Holeman, Jeff Wilson, and Noble Cobb.
The city opened bids for the 6th Street and 3rd and Main Street resurfacing projects. Hazex Construction Company out of Henderson was the only company to submit a valid bid. The company sent two separate bids, one for each project, as per the bid request. Steve Beasley of Hazex was present at the council meeting for questions.
Although the bids were “a lot higher than anticipated,” the mayor said, Beasley was eager to negotiate for the jobs. When the city estimated these projects nearly two years ago, they did not foresee the rise in fuel and steel costs. The current bid for the 6th Street project came in at $147,574, and the project on 3rd & Main at $95,666.75, approximately $75,000 more than anticipated by the council and engineers.
The council took no action in securing Hazex for these projects but plans to sit down with Beasley to streamline the price. Beasley will meet with Engineer Rod Martin of Hunter and Martin before re-presenting the price to the finance committee sometime this month.
In other business:
* The city passed an ordinance to codify all ordinances for 2007, which are ready for books.
* After studying the Rural Water Report, Councilman Noble Cobb questioned why there was no comparison cost between upgrading the system and connecting to county water. Mayor Holt stated that it became apparent that no short-term fixes would be feasible to connect to the county water system. “Between easements and meetings, I’ve been advised it would take three years to have water flowing,” Holt stated.
However, the team from Louisville Water Works, after conducting the study, has agreed to help the city in finding solutions by visiting once a month. This study and continual expertise was at no cost to the taxpayers.
* The city declined to pass an ordinance allowing the temporary sale of motor vehicles by an out-of-state company by a 4-2 vote. City Attorney Bill Siler felt the company was attempting to “blanket” an area of sale and the city might never actually see a car sale from this ordinance. Morganfield and Henderson cities also declined this request.
* The city is compiling a list of equipment and cars for auction. The city recently received custody by the court on several impounded cars, and along with some surplus equipment, would like to host a live auction. Action was tabled until a formal list was presented for the council’s approval.
* The city is waiting for a price quote from the Roger’s Group for paving Adams Street. The city has $52,000 of money earmarked for this particular project, in which they hope will pave Adams Street from 7th to 12th.
* The city has begun to consider summer projects. Parking spaces in front of businesses, like the Dollar Store, will be remarked this summer, says Mayor Holt. The city will also look into patching railroad crossings and zoning the blocks around Sturgis Elementary as a school zone.
