The Rainsville City Council met Monday, July 16 for its by-monthly meeting. During the work session preceding the meeting, Fred Bobo, representing the sewer board, made a request that the council consider acquiring a USDA Loan & Grant to improve the current sewer system. Bobo highlighted the tremendous need for expanding the capacity of the sewer system by replacing a group of eight inch lines with twelve inch lines and twelve inch lines with twenty-four inch lines. This is needed due to the present and future growth of the city. Mayor Lingerfelt reported on the increase in building permits over the last four years. He stated that in 2014 over a twelve month period twenty building permits were requested with an average request of 1.66 permits per month while in 2018 in only a six month period twenty-six permits have already been requested for an average of 4.33 permit requests per month. They both explained the need for planning for the future business expansion in our community and the great need to have our infrastructure ready for the growth.
Also during the work session, City Engineer Phillips reported on the progress of the George Wallace Street Bridge Project. He explained the project had been stalled due to the original contractor having to back out of the contract due to health reasons. This occured after the road had been closed and demolition work started. James E. Watts & Sons will replace the previous contractor and promises to begin work on or before July 30. The estimated time of completion for the contractor’s portion of the project is fifteen working days. Then the city will oversee the completion of the repair work. Councilman Byrum questioned Phillips about the possibility of replacing the rotting timbers under the bridge with more durable materials to ensure the safety of the bridge for years to come. Phillips stated that replacing the timbers would be a risky process and require a very skilled individual to complete it. The council agreed to look into the possibility of correcting the timber problem at this time.
After the work session, Mayor Lingerfelt called the meeting to order, and the council approved the minutes from the previous meeting. The council voted to approve the following items:
? Pay to send Kelly Frazier to Magistrate School for training
? Empower the city attorney to negotiate repairs to the nonfunctioning splash pad at the city pool with the provider
? Empower the mayor to begin the paperwork to acquire a USDA Loan & Grant for sewer upgrade
? Pay for the cost of a chain length fence to be installed around the Pee Wee football field at the sports complex at an approximate cost of $18,000.00
? Hire Cody Dupree part time as an animal control officer to replace the previous officer.
The council also wanted to thank the community for supporting the Run For the Fallen Tribute Run. They also wanted to make the community aware of the ribbon cutting at the new bus garage last Thursday at 5:00 pm.
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