Melissa McClendon
Locust Grove’s Community Building has been brought up to code and the senior citizen’s program will remain open thanks to grants from Grand Gateway and the United Way.
During Monday’s regular monthly meeting, Locust Grove Mayor Vickie Herr gave an update on the purchases and work needed to keep the senior program going. Grand Gateway Economic Development Authority is purchasing the $3,500 vent hood and the United Way is purchasing the commercial refrigerator.
“Those two things will put us in compliance,” Herr said.
At the February town meeting, Renee Wilsie, who has been cooking for the seniors at the community building since the close of the Community Action Resource and Development Senior site, asked the board to help the seniors bring the building up to code. The Health Department had informed the group and town that meals could not be cooked in the building without the installation of a vent hood and a commercial refrigerator.
Now that the building is up to code, it may be rented with use of the kitchen. Trustee Shawn Bates asked the board to consider charging everyone who asks to use the community building. In the past, city employees and trustees were allowed to use the building free.
The board approved the change. It will now cost everyone $50 to rent the building without use of the kitchen. To use the kitchen, the cost to rent is $100. In the past, there was an $86 deposit, but that was changed to $75. To rent the community building contact city hall at 479-5354.
In other town business:
• The board approved sending police dispatcher Misty Temple to Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunications System training in Oklahoma City March 16-19. The training is free but Police Chief Nathan Raith asked the board to pay for Temple’s hotel stay and $20 per diem. Temple was approved for $45 per night and $20 per diem.
• Joe Koelsch Road is going to be resurfaced. The board approved the resurfacing and will pay an additional $800 to have a road striped near Denny’s.
• A change order was approved to pay Moorehead construction $3,800 out of the street and alley fund. The money will be used to reroute a pipe on the south side of Joe Koelsch Road and to armor a ditch to keep water from running into a field on the north side of the road. The project will be paid for by Emergency Relief Funds.
• The intersection of Owen and Hill will become a 4-way stop. Herr requested the board consider putting an additional stop sign at the intersection of Radcliff and Walnut to slow traffic in that area. A citizen who lives in the neighborhood felt the sign would be better at Owen and Hill.
• Money was reallocated in the library budget to update the department’s software. Librarian Annissa Parris had budgeted $830 for maintenance of the computers but asked the board to allow her to use the money to purchase the Microsoft office 2007 software instead.
• A bid packet was approved pending the city attorney’s additions. The town will be taking bids for mowing, weed eating alleyways, right of ways and town property throughout the town limits.
• Some of the items tabled for a special meeting Monday, March 22, include the removal of a write up in officer Nate Cooper’s file as well as his employment.
