By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore City Council members, meeting without Mayor Jim Staff, gave unanimous approval during their Monday, July 25, meeting to the onset of a project that will result in the cleanout of major problems in ditches across the city. (Staff was out of town and unable to attend the session.)
The council voted to begin the four-part project, under which the city will be divided into four quadrants, by seeking separate bids for each quadrant. The first step is to have engineers evaluate the problem and come up with a solution.
“Our engineers are getting together plans for a major cleanout of ditches throughout the city,” said Mayor Pro Tem Shawn Lassiter, who was presiding over his first meeting. “As soon as the plan is complete, we’ll let bids. The plan is to divide the city into four quadrants, and we’ll bid out each quadrant.”
The ditch mitigation will be paid for with money from gas taxes. That money was initially set aside for street paving.
In the only other business conducted Monday, the council gave code enforcement officers the green light to proceed with the latest round of grass and weed nuisance removal.
Code Enforcement Officer Greg Vaughn said the 14 properties included in the resolution were just the beginning of the latest round in keeping properties free of unsightly tall grass and weeds that harbor rodents, snakes and other pests.
“We’re seeking your approval to send letters, post signs and put notices in the newspaper allowing prop owners 21 days to address the issue,” Vaughn said. “If they don’t take care of it, we’ll come back with a second resolution asking to proceed with addressing it ourselves. There will be more; this is just the beginning.”
[See property list on page 9A this edition of Atmore News.]
There being no further business before the group, the meeting was adjourned.