Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Meeting needed on bond issue

The City of Gurdon will likely hold a special meeting in early August to adopt a bond ordinance and sign the bond purchase agreement. The bonds issue is slated to be closed on Sept. 7 and Gurdon Mayor Clayton Franklin said work on the streets should be ready to start as soon as the money is distributed.

A sales tax was approved by voters of the city during a special election in June with the proceeds designated for a street improvement project.

"I appreciate the vote we got," Franklin said during the regular meeting of the Gurdon City Council on July 19.

Fewer than 200 people turned out to vote in the special election and the sales tax was the only issue on the ballot. About 75 percent of those voting approved the tax.

"We are appreciative of the citizens' confidence in us," Franklin said. "We pledge that every nickle of that will go to the streets."

Franklin said he is working on establishing a committee of people to help prioritize the project. While he didn't have a complete list available at the council meeting, he named several who would serve. Doug Quillin will represent the Gurdon Senior Citizens Center, and Franklin said there will be representatives from the Gurdon Chamber of Commerce, the Gurdon Rotary Club and a couple of local churches. Gurdon water department employee James Cox will be a member of the committee. Franklin said Cox's role will be to help coordinate paving the streets that have underground water and sewer lines already scheduled for repair. Franklin said that will prevent the city from overlaying a street that the water department is about to dig up.

Gurdon Street Superintendent Jimmy Caldwell will also serve on the committee. Franklin told Caldwell he should begin any culvert work or other preparations on the streets that have already been identified for the first phase of overlay.

The first phase includes the streets coming into town, such as Kansas Road, Red Springs Road, Go-Devil Road and Smithton Road. Franklin said at least two of the roads serve as the city limits, and those streets belong half to the city and half to the county. Franklin said he believes the county should pay for half the repairs and half of the project.

"So we may have to go up in a bus and go to a quorum court meeting to get our money," Franklin said.

Franklin said he wants to keep reminding the residents of the city the project is an asphalt overlay on about 15 miles of streets in the city. The job is beyond the equipment capabilities of the city's street department and the project will be contracted out.

Meanwhile, the city's street department will continue to work on street repairs and projects that had already been scheduled. That work is not part of the project being paid for with the sales tax revenue, Franklin said.

In other business, Franklin told council members he believes the city's ordinance regarding the sale of fireworks should be revisited.

"I know everybody's sick of talking about firecrackers," Franklin said. "But I want to address it one more time."

Franklin said he does not want to change the ban on bottle rockets, because he said he believes the residents of the city are happy with the ordinance as it stands. However, he said the language regarding the time fireworks can be sold in the city is vague and Franklin said he wants the board to word on the wording of that section of the ordinance so that it's clear.

In other business, Franklin told council members that Paul Barringer has donated a riding lawn mower to the city for use at the cemetery.

"And I think Mr. (Billy) Francis deserves a thanks for his work on the cemetery," said Betty Torgesen.

She said the property is well-kept, and that she has heard comments about the good condition of the cemetery.