After several months of effort Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen finally resolved the issue of striping East Street at their meeting on Feb. 4.
A quote of $3,600 by Salters out of Jackson was approved.
The board also finalized the policies for renting the local armory, agreeing to require any exempt parties to still pay the necessary security deposit to rent the building. The deposit will be returned to the parties after the building is returned to an acceptable condition. With the exception of this change, the building rental policy remained the same.
The board discussed a proposal from Mayor Todd Booth to have J&L Enterprises do paving work around the city patching potholes. J&L Enterprises has done the majority of the paving work for the city in recent years. Booth praised the job the company has done with the summer paving projects.
He explained that for $4,700 a day, not including material, the company would bring equipment to assist with patching potholes and laying tack. Booth said this could be a long term solution to the potholes, but it would require the city to spend the budgeted asphalt money slated for the summer.
Booth also suggested that the city invest in Aquaphalt, which is a unique quick fix material used to patch potholes. Booth and City Superintendent Justin Peacock both affirmed the effectiveness of Aquaphalt, but stated that it cost $50 a bucket and Peacock said that a bucket would not stretch very far.
Donnie Thomas moved that the board borrow $900,000 to be used to fix every street in the city. Thomas estimated that it would take the city up to eight years to pay back the loan, if they spent what was budgeted each year for asphalt. The motion was met with some push back from his fellow board members. Booth said, “We can’t get money for infrastructure each year unless we spend so much a year. We need to get a plan in place before we start throwing out $900,000 motions.”
The other board members agreed with the mayor, and Thomas’s motion was opposed.
Thomas said, “We’re sitting here spinning our wheels month after month and getting nowhere. We’re going to spin our wheels for another 10 years and do nothing.” Thomas suggested a committee be formed of longtime residents and new residents to develop a plan for the city’s streets.
A request was made by the mayor to adopt a resolution requesting $500,000 to assist with tying the new water tank acquired from the Simpson County Economic Development District. The tower will assist approximately 250 customers in Mendenhall with water pressure and also give the city an additional well. The increased water source provided by the tank will assist the Mendenhall Fire Department in maintaining the current fire rating, and enhance the city’s possibility for growth, the mayor said.
Booth explained that the resolution was to assist Senator Chris Caughman in an attempt to secure funds to help with pipework necessary to make the connection and that the resolution was essential for Caughman to get the request through. However, the resolution provided to the Aldermen was not up to date. It lacked the language needed to satisfy the request requirements, but an up to date copy was reported to be in the works. Aldermen Robert Mangum and Janna Miller requested an up to date resolution before they would commit to adopting it. Booth cautioned that the request needed to be approved because the funds may not be there if the board waited a month until the next meeting to adopt the resolution. After a period of discussion the board voted and was locked in a stalemate of 2-2. Aldermen Donnie Thomas and Sandra Stein voted in favor of the resolution; Aldermen Mangum and Miller against. Alderman Tim Gray was unable to attend the meeting so the deciding vote was left to the Booth, who voted in favor . Earlier engineering studies showed the $250,000 water tank tying into Mendenhall’s system on Highway 13 across Bowen Road.
Booth said he is hopeful that the city will be able to receive the funds. with the project.
