Eupora aldermen handled only a few items during their last regular meeting of the year on Dec. 1.
Mayor Pete Fortner brought to the city board's attention concerns with two contractors, including Pearson Dozer Service of Florence. The company was awarded a $164,000 contract in February for clearing, grubbing, erosion control and revegetation of Industrial Park No. 3 across from Plymouth Tube. The city received a Community Development Block Grant to fund the project.
Pearson Dozer had not complied with the conditions of the contract because numerous stumps and logs remain, according to Fortner. Stanley Spradling of Calvert Spradling Engineers has requested that the contractor make an on-site inspection, the mayor said. The city has received a 90-day grant extension but Fortner pointed out that the ground is too wet now to do any more clearing at this time.
The other contractor is Diamond Enterprises of Gloster, which was awarded a bid of nearly $16,000 to clean and paint the Walthall water tank.
Diamond wants an additional $9,800 because, Fortner said, it claims that the interior is rusted more than it expected and needs sandblasting before it is scraped and repainted. He has asked an engineer with Calvert Spradling to inspect the tank's interior and make a recommendation as to the next step that the city should take.
The board tabled until January a request from Dixie Cablevision that the city grant it a cable franchise. Fortner said the company needs to provide more details.
Aldermen, upon a motion made by Hank Flowers (Ward 3), voted to have city Attorney Jacqueline G. Smith write the owner of a house on the west side of South Allen Street to request that he clean up the property.
They voted to give Colin Ray supplemental pay of $300 for assuming the extra duties of park director for three weeks. Ray was assistant park director when Dinky Bowen resigned as director on Nov. 13 to become plant manager of Hawkeye Glove Manufacturing.
Fortner said during the meeting that he was surprised but thankful that city sales tax collections were up so much in September. That month's collections of nearly $36,000 were $4,000 higher than a year ago and up $8,000 from the previous month.
Police Chief Gregg Hunter said the Police Department planned to present about a half-dozen cases to the recall grand jury, which was to convene Tuesday.
The board's next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 5 in City Hall.
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