Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Renovations Planned To Emmet's City Hall

Emmet's City Hall will be renovated to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act for the May 23 Preferential Primary election.

The Emmet City Council made this decision Wednesday, April 12, at its regular monthly meeting. The project will primarily entail adding a marked handicap parking spot and making sure the doors will accommodate a wheelchair. A sign will also be erected designating the handicapped parking spot.

Rain, though, has prevented the city from getting the concrete slab poured at this time. Emmet Mayor Dale Booker said the project should be done before the primary, which is May 23.

The city has also begun work to expand the trailer park near the old Arkla complex. According to Booker, seven slabs will be added, complete with utility hookups.

This, he said, will bring the total to 15, with more pads to be added in the future. These pads will be built as needed and will depend on the demand for housing.

At this time, he said, both of the city's trailer parks are full and people are waiting for new spaces for mobile homes to open up.

The city is still having problems with Underground Utilities, the contracting company that installed Emmet's new water lines.

Booker said the company left the project saying it was done, but failed to finish the clean-up work.

The city is holding the company's bond in place and part of the retainer so Emmet will have the money to pay someone else to complete the job.

At this time attorneys for the city and company are working to negotiate a cash settlement so Emmet can close the project out.

Until the project is closed, Booker said, Emmet can't begin drilling a new water well.

"We need to have the money for this project," Booker said, "and we can't drill until this is settled. We don't know how much we'll have."

He told the council the city's attorney, Glenn Vasser, should have this problem completed by the May meeting.

Booker was approached by a resident to trim some trees. This, he said, can be expensive to the city if trees are trimmed at each person's request.

Emmet, he said, doesn't have the facilities or equipment to have it done either, even though the trees in question are on city property.

However, he added, if a tree poses a threat, it will be cut down or trimmed as needed.

The city's pickup has now been repaired, he said. The truck's engine was rebuilt, new brakes put on and two new tires put on as well.

One of Emmet's 10kw generators needed some work done to it, and the other will soon get a new fuel injector pump so both will be functional in case of an emergency.

The Emmet Volunteer Fire Department, he said, is also working to develop a better emergency plan for the city, along with getting extensive training.