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The DeLeon City Council met in regular
session, Thursday, October 25, and addressed a brief agenda.
All council members – Mayor Danny Owen, Howard Gifford, Norma Locke,
Roy Dale Freeman and Gayle Stroud – were present for the 6 p.m. start.
Also present were City Secretary Karen
Wilkerson, Police Chief Ralph Dickey and Ray Helberg, emergency
management coordinator.
With most agenda items handled fairly
quickly, including several items that were tabled, the discussion of
the progress at the DeLeon Community Park (during the open discussion
between city officials and city staff) occupied a good portion of the
meeting.
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PAVING
AT COMMUNITY PARK. Mayor Danny Owen reported during the
Thursday, October 25, City Council meeting that paving of the
walking trails, despite several delays, should begin the next day,
which it did. Pictured above is a member of the paving crew
working on an area of the trail near the ticket booth. |
“We’ve been saying for the past two weeks
that we were going to get our walking trail paved,” Mayor Owen noted,
“but they experienced some mechanical problems and their truck that’s
supposed to be able to maneuver out on the grounds wasn’t available
today. So hopefully tomorrow, we’ll be able to do that.”
Mayor Owen then went on to report that
Rob Duncan, public works administrator, and his crew, had many posts
erected for the handicap parking signs.
“As soon as the paving is complete,” Owen
said, “there’s a group of local people who are supposed to put the
benches and the barbecue grills and stuff up, so we’re still making
headway. Sometimes it seems like we take one step forward and 500
backwards. But we are accomplishing things.”
“When you go by there now, it’s visible,”
Councilwoman Stroud said, “you can see something has been done.”
Mayor Owen agreed, saying that much of
the work in the past had been “behind the scenes.” He then went on to
describe more of the work at the park. “We ran into a small problem
with the dimensions of our restrooms, as far as meeting the American
Disabilities Act. Karen hasn’t been able to get a hold of the guy, the
contractor for the buildings, but supposedly, they and our engineers
are working on this. It didn’t seem like a big issue, we’re still
talking about getting it in the time frame (needed.) I believe the
tile work is done in the bathrooms. Hopefully next week, the
partitions will be up and the commodes will be placed.”
Wilkerson then distributed several photos
that she’d taken depicting small problems with the tile in the
restrooms, and informed Council members that she was working on
getting to the people who could correct the problem.
Mayor Owen noted that Rob Duncan was
working on the sewer and water to the restroom at the tractor
pull-rodeo arena. Owen also encouraged the council members to go to
the park and drive through.
“I think once you get out there and see what all’s really going on,
you’ll be impressed with the amount of work that has been done,” he
said, adding that he knew there was still a lot more work to do.
When Councilwoman Norma Locke noted that
she, “Didn’t know what we’d do without Rob,” Mayor Owen agreed, adding
that Rob had been under a great deal of stress and deadlines, but that
he thought he would soon “be seeing daylight at the end of the
tunnel.”
In other business, Council members:
• Took no action on a request by Terry
and Margaret Skaggs in regards to providing city water to a residence
on CR 445, as the residence is outside the city limits.
• Approved a request by City Secretary
Karen Wilkerson to move the November 22 regular meeting to November
29, due to the Thanksgiving holidays.
• Approved a request by Janie Banda to
rent the City Hall auditorium for a birthday party and dance, pending
Banda’s proof that she has provided proper security.
• Approved the 2007 Tax Roll.
• Took no action on an agenda item
described as the first reading of an ordinance vacating and abandoning
portions of an alley in block one of the Bender subdivision. Mayor
Owen explained that the item was just on the agenda by accident, and
would instead be addressed at one of the November meetings.
• Tabled an agenda item regarding an
appointment to the Comanche County Appraisal District board, until the
November 8 meeting.
• Took no action on an agenda item
regarding the possible employment of Chris Baker with the DeLeon
Police Department. Chief Dickey said that since Baker didn’t show up
for the council meeting, and didn’t return phone calls, he was
assuming he was no longer interested in working for the DeLeon PD.
• Approved minutes from the October 11
meeting.
• Approved payroll, and accounts payable.
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