Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Parks Director Being Sought For Prescott

Prescott is looking for a new director for its parks and recreation department.

Gary Lewis, who is on the parks and recreation commission, said the parks director, George Odom is retiring.

Lewis, speaking to the Prescott City Council during its regular meeting Monday, July 17, said the position will be advertised, with the commission looking for someone with a degree in recreation or a related field.

The job, he said, will entail keeping up with all of the programs at the park, including little league activities, grounds keeping and maintenance of the fields, along with improving the programs.

Applications will be accepted until Tuesday, Aug. 1, with plans to get someone in place by the time Odom leaves on Aug. 23, Lewis said.

The council went from there to deal with one ordinance and four resolutions.

The resolutions had to be passed in order for the city to continue qualifying for various grants and government benefits. None were new to the council.

The first resolution was for a drug free workplace. This one, Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor said, is so the city could apply for state and federal grants, along with being a policy for the city.

Anyone working for the city found using drugs is subject to termination. This also includes anyone caught manufacturing or selling drugs.

The city, Taylor said, has a different policy for alcohol.

Next up was an anti-displacement resolution. Under it, the city must find housing for any low or moderate income family displaced because of demolition or a conversion of low or moderate income housing for use in other activities.

The third resolution dealt with fair housing in Prescott. Basically, it stated the city would comply with state and federal regulations concerning the fair housing laws already in place.

The final ordinance stated the city's police department would not use excessive force on those involved in non-violent civil rights demonstrations.

This resolution does not apply to anyone involved in a criminal activity, riots, or resisting arrest.

The panel also approved appropriating $160,000 from the sales tax fund, transferring it to the library fund for the purchase of a building site for the new library.

Taylor said the site committee had met with the landowners in question and is still working with one before the transaction can be completed.

However, he said, the money needs to be in place so the owners can be paid when all have agreed to sell.

The exact figures should be known by the August meeting, Taylor said, and the budget can be adjusted accordingly.

The council also approved annexing 20 acres adjacent to the Rip Griffin Truck and Travel Center site into the city. The property owners had requested being annexed into the city limits.

This location, Taylor said, is zones C-2 for commercial use and will have access to all city services.

A petition was submitted to close Paradise Lane. This stretch of road is in the Walter Acres subdivision and has never been developed, though it was platted.

This request was made because a landowner in the area wants to build a house where the street would be.

A public hearing will be heard on this issue at 6:30 p.m. August 21, just before the next regularly scheduled meeting of the council.

As the meeting wound down, councilman Howard Austin asked what the city was doing about the delinquent utility accounts, saying the problem seems to be getting worse.

Taylor glossed over the situation saying this has been a problem since the first meter was installed, and it tends to get worse during the summer months.

He told the council the firemen are getting caught up on the classes they were lacking, having met four times in June.

There were complaints registered by the council concerning fireworks in the city.

It was said children were throwing bottle rockets at cars as they passed on the street, as well as being shot out of cars at people on the street.

The issue of fireworks safety was brought up with it being reported one child could lose an eye because of being hit by some type of firework.

Taylor said a community fireworks display may help, but it would cost at least $5,000.