A Sodaville resident thanked the city for laying gravel on some roads, but expressed a concern during the City Council meeting on Feb. 20.
The city followed up on a concern by resident Randy Manning who, while appreciative of the effort, didn’t like the large size of rock used to pave Fisher, Maple and Park streets.
The city had ordered six truckloads of one-and-a-half minus rock to serve as a temporary solution to streets lined with potholes.
Manning thanked the council for laying the gravel, but said what’s out there is more rock than gravel, making it difficult to drive over.
“It’s rough as a corn cob,” he said, adding that his wheelchair-bound mother can no longer roll on the road.
Still, he repeated his gratitude to the city for the effort they are putting into fixing those roads.
City Administrator/Recorder Molly McGuire said the city plans to separate it with a box grater where needed, let the rock settle and then add a top layer of three-quarter minus gravel. Mayor Brian Lewis said this is what he did with his own driveway and it’s “as hard as pavement.”
Weeks after the council meeting, the rock had compacted into the roads. McGuire and Public Works Direct J D Burns said they’ve been keeping an eye on the roads and receiving positive feedback from the residents. Grating and three-quarter gravel is still planned.
In other business:
- McGuire reported the general account is standing at $45,354 and the LGIP is at $76,716.
- McGuire said the city is waiting on its attorney who is reviewing a rough draft of Sodaville’s request for a proposal for a CPA.
- Lewis said he and McGuire attended City Day in Salem and met with many different leaders up there, which gave them an opportunity to talk about Sodaville’s current work trying to obtain water rights and use grant funds for a new well.
- The council held a work session to strategize improved water rates prior to the regular meeting.
- The council passed a resolution to correct an error made from a previous administration’s resolution on water rates. This was just to correct a past mistake, but the city is still looking at restructuring its water service rates.