DECATUR -- The Decatur City Council met in special session June 8 to consider four items which needed immediate action. This included the paving project at Veterans Park, a new truck for the street department, an animal ordinance amendment and land acquisition.
James Boston, director of public works, opened three sealed bids for the paving project at Veterans Park, Pat Drive and Charley Street in the presence of the mayor and council members. The three bids submitted ranged from $44,500 to $79,716. The lowest bid of $44,500, from Longan Asphalt Construction Company of Grove, Okla., was accepted and the council voted to award a contract for paving to Longan Asphalt.
Longan is expected to begin preparation work sometime after June 29 and to have the project finished before the Aug. 1 Decatur Barbecue event.
The council also heard a presentation by Boston for a new truck for the Decatur street department. The city currently operates two trucks built before 2000, a 1997 Chevy and a 1999 Dodge. The newest truck in the street department is a 2008 GMC, which the city bought new.
"With the older trucks comes higher cost to operate and maintain," Boston said. "We will have to look at replacements for them sometime in the near future."
After searching through the state vehicle bid package, Boston found one truck available, a 2015 Dodge 4-wheel drive 1/2 ton crew cab. Total cost for the vehicle is $22,324. After a short question and answer session, the council voted to allow Boston to purchase the new vehicle. The funds will come out of the street department new equipment fund.
Mayor Bob Tharp presented a proposal to purchase three tracts of land within the Decatur city limits. One of the tracts is behind city hall. This tract is home to Decatur Fire Station Number 3 and the Decatur Street Department compound.
The second tract is a small piece on Austin St. that is the site of Well Number 3.
The third tract is the small piece between South Main St. and the train depot that is the present site of the log cabin.
After a lengthy discussion, the council voted to allow Tharp to make an offer of $18,000 for all three parcels.
The final item of the evening was further discussion on proposed changes to the current animal control ordinance regarding raising chickens within Decatur city limits.
Councilmen James Jessen said he researched the handling of fowl by other cities in Northwest Arkansas, including Rogers.
A problem was revealed in regard to the distance a chicken coop or pen had to be from a residence. Most city ordinances allow a coop or pen to be built no closer than 100 feet from a house on a one-acre tract.
Linda Martin said most of the Decatur residents live on less than an acre, some as small as a quarter acre, and this would present a compliance problem for those residents.
The council voted to table the matter until the next regular session, and Tharp asked Jessen to find a solution and present his findings at that meeting of the council.
The next regular session of the Decatur City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. on July 13 in the conference room at City Hall.
General News on 07/01/2015