Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Volunteer Group Lauded For Clean Up Effort

A group of young people were honored for their volunteer efforts by the Gurdon City Council Monday night.

Delton Simpson's Operation Cleanup crew was presented a certificate of appreciation by Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith at the council's monthly meeting.

Smith said there is no city in the nation able to provide everything for its citizenry without the aid of volunteers. He praised Operation Cleanup for the thousands of hours of work done by the adults and young people alike.

The eight adults in the group volunteered 937 hours, while the 26 young people did 1,239 volunteer hours of work on a wide variety of projects, including a coat drive during the winter.

Each member of the organization will be presented with a volunteer pin in the shape of a key at a later date.

Simpson told the council he enjoys working with young people and Operation Cleanup will change the City of Gurdon in a positive manner in time.

Street work took up a good deal of time as councilmen questioned Street Superintendent Jim Caldwell about projects underway and planned for the future.

At this time, work is underway to get the Old Whelen Road paved from South Street to Highway 53. Clark County Judge Floyd "Buddy" Manning has shown interest in helping, especially as a large part of this project is a county road.

Part of the problem currently is the weather. Caldwell said his crew needs some dry weather before much more can be done. But, he added, this project should be finished before the end of the year.

When asked about the drainage problem on Pinewood Drive, Caldwell said his department will have to borrow the county's track hoe to dig out the ditches, but this will be slow work as utilities run down the middle of the ditches in the area.

This project, too, he said, will be completed before the end of this year.

Caldwell was given permission by the council to purchase commercial weedeaters, though the approval was unnecessary as the price is well below the bid limit of $5,000. He said this equipment can be bought for about $200 per piece.

The department normally buys one or two weedeaters a year to help keep grass and weeds trimmed along the city right of way, but the workload is too much for the smaller engines.

The commercial equipment is actually lighter in overall weight, he said, even though is has a heavier duty engine.

In other business, the cemetery commission was given approval to buy a new riding lawnmower for $2,600 to replace one which can't be repaired.

Again, no bid was needed, but the department's budget will have to be amended as this kind of equipment purchase was not included when the budget was originally approved.

Doug Quillen was approved as a member of the Gurdon Housing Authority. Quillen is currently serving on the panel, but had his term renewed for another five years.

At the April meeting of the council, a blocked alley at north Sixth and Seventh streets was discussed.

Smith spoke to the homeowner about the situation, getting it resolved. He said the problem is part of the alley is grass the owner mows and when it rains with people driving through the alley, this section gets ruts in it.

The city will look into repairing the ruts and curbing the problem, with the owner removing the barriers.

The Gurdon Fire Department burned down a structure that had burned earlier several months ago.

At the time, the owner agreed to clean the property within a 60-day period, but has yet to begin.

City Attorney Taylor King will write the property owner a letter, detailing the city's options and what the owner can do.

Gurdon has an ordinance on the books concerning condemnation of property. Under this law, if a property owner gives the city permission to demolish a structure the owner is responsible for removing the debris.

Should the owner not do this, the city can have the debris cleared up and place a lien on the property. After a specified period of time, if the owner doesn't pay for the cleanup work, the city has the right to sell the land at auction to the highest bidder.

In the case in question, Smith said, a mobile home burned, and the city will likely have to hire a contractor to clear the debris away, as the Street Department doesn't have the necessary equipment to do the job.

Smith also reminded the council the city has an ordinance requiring homeowners to keep their property mowed and free if debris, or they, too, can be held responsible for paying to have it done.

The panel gave Smith permission to advertise for bids for a recycling trailer, with bids to be opened at the June meeting.

Smith said a building will be needed to house the recyclable materials, especially paper and cardboard. He added the city may be able to purchase a baler for the cardboard brought in for recycling.