Sweet Springs aldermen approve street projects

The Sweet Springs Board of Alderman selected the street overlay projects for this year's budget at its meeting Monday, April 14.

Hank Taber, superintendent of public works, presented the board with a list of potential streets to include in the 2008 overlay project. The list has more than a mile of city streets that need repair.

Mayor Raymond Kinney asked Taber how the list is compiled. Taber said he looks over the streets, information regarding the amount of traffic and how long it's been since the street has received repairs.

Taber requested that Marshall and Maple streets be repaired this year.

Marshall Street is heavily traveled, due to businesses and the high school located on the east end of it. Taber said the overlay would be effective since the surface is well-packed and shouldn't have problems with major cracking due to settling ground.

Alderwoman Vivian Wiley asked if any repairs would be made to Lexington Avenue. Taber replied that repairing Lexington Avenue would preclude repairs to any other street in the city because of costs. Kinney asked Taber to find out costs on alternative types of asphalt, such as "super pavement," and bring the information back to the board.

The board approved overlaying Marshall Street and Maple Street from Lange Street to Crest Drive.

Taber also presented the board with bids for a smoke tester to be used to check the sewer system for infiltration problems. Taber said he knows he would use this equipment at least twice a year due to reporting required by Department of Natural Resources.

The city received a bid from BARCO for $1,185 and USA BlueBook for $1,295.53. The council approved the bid from BARCO.

In other business, Kinney said he would like to nominate Bruce Hoyes, Brenda Cosgrove, Debra Kinney and Tonya Winfrey to the fire department grant-writing committee. The board agreed and passed unanimously.

Mayor Kinney called a special meeting Wednesday, April 16, to discuss the fire department grant writing committee.

Kinney told the board there is a 50 percent chance he may have done something wrong nominating his wife, Debra Kinney, to the committee; he said to be safe he would like to dissolve the committee and make it an informal committee instead.

The two aldermen who made the motion at the last meeting rescinded their motions and the formal committee was dissolved.

Kinney said citizens of the community would get together and discuss writing grants for all departments and boards of the city.

The next regular meeting of the Sweet Springs Board of Alderman is Monday, May 12, at 7 p.m. at city hall.

Contact Rachel Harper at marshallcity@socket.net