By John Howell
Mayor Jerry Autrey has released to aldermen a list of city streets slated for resurfacing during the fall. The list was compiled from suggestions by aldermen, Autrey said, as part of an annual, ongoing paving program.

The streets include Whiskey Chute between Highway 35 and Lomax, Central, Noble, Dell, East and Potts Streets, Thomas Street Extended, and Bethlehem Road. Half of the cost of the Bethlehem Road resurfacing will paid by the county, Autrey said.

The road marks the boundary of city limits.

Patton Lane Park will be re-striped as part of the summer paving program, Autrey told Alderman Ted Stewart.

In other city business at the August 18 meeting:
• Aldermen awarded a contract to install sod on the construction site at Woodland Road to Barton Sod. Barton submitted the lowest of three quotes for installation of the sod on 4,500 square yards at $2.20 per yard. Quotes ranged to $3.25 per square yard.

The site is located where a culvert washed out April 24, creating a lengthy detour on a heavily-traveled street while the old culvert was replaced with new, larger culverts.

Addition of rip rap to control washing along the edges of the new culvert will be handled by the city’s annual term bidders;
• The connector road under construction between Pine Lodge Road and Medical Center Drive will also be paved in the fall, probably in October, City Engineer Blake Mendrop said.

City officials added $75,000 for the Pine Lodge connector road construction budget to allow construction of a walking/bicycle lane, officials said;
• The mayor and aldermen agreed to pay around $100,000 to AT&T to relocate utility lines on the Public Square, placing them underground and removing existing utility poles.

“I’m for it,” said Alderman Stan Harrison, who has pushed for the removal of the utility poles from the Square.

“It’s better than the $400,000 they started with,” Alderman Teddy Morrow said, referring to utility’s price at the beginning of negotiations.

• City officials accepted Mendrop’s recommendation to purchase for $2,500 mapping software for five departments that will identify locations of fire hydrants, utility lines and other underground infrastructure;
• Aldermen approved three utility easements. AT&T will install underground fiber optic cable from Highway 51 at Eureka along Eureka to Dunlap and Kyle. Another AT&T project will install the underground cable under I-55 to reach Walmart.

A Cable One project will bring underground cable from Gowdy Street underneath the railroad tracks to Thomas Street.