New Albany board extends emergency orders for 30 days, emphasizes need for distancing

New Albany aldermen ratified Mayor Tim Kent’s emergency orders concerning the coronavirus pandemic and extended them for 30 more days at their April meeting.

The orders were set to expire April 7.

While the mayor has authority to issue orders, he and aldermen all thought it better for the board to formally endorse those orders. Mayor Kent said he does confer with aldermen before making those decisions.

“We want everybody to be on the same page with all of them,” Kent said.

Kent added that he, board attorney Regan Russell and code enforcement officer Eric Thomas shared a phone call with Gov. Reeves this past week.

“Basically, he told us the mayor can add to what he has done. He said basically y’all know your city better than I do. Whatever y’all put in place will override what I’ve done,” Kent said.

The mayor still has authority to issue orders or modify existing orders between now and the next board meeting but he said about the only thing they need to settle is to set some sort of maximum occupancy numbers for some businesses, possibly based on a percentage of square footage or fire codes.

While a few officials were present at City Hall Tuesday, practicing social distancing, most participated through teleconferencing.

In an update, Emergency Management Director Curt Clayton told the city officials that COVID-19 numbers continue to climb. “They’re kind of following their computer model of what they thought was going to happen,” he said. “It’s not more than they thought was gonna happen.”

“Looking at some of the models they are showing it’s showing that folks around the state are kind of abiding by the shelter in place,” Clayton continued. “It’s not as well as they would like to see, and we would like to see, but folks are starting to do more stuff, Wal-Mart being one of them.”

“The biggest thing we want to do is make sure we keep everybody doing what the governor has asked and we need to extend the emergency declaration for 30 more days…just in case y’all decide you want to do something stouter or we end up having to so something,” Clayton said.

Among action items, the board approved purchasing a milling machine for the street department at the state contract price, which was not specified. The machine will be used for street repair work rather than major paving projects.

This led to a discussion about street paving in general.

“Do you think we need to move on this?” Mayor Tim Kent asked. “The money is already there in street improvements, and we added four mills for that. The money is already allotted.”

The aldermen generally agreed the street work should proceed, but wanted the public to be aware that this has been planned for some time and they are not spending money frivolously during a pandemic. The money in question can only be used for streets, in fact.

In fact, Ward Two Alderman Johnny Anderson pointed out that asphalt costs may actually be lower right now with low fuel costs and Police Chief Robertson said this is a good time while the traffic level is so low.

The question of which streets to improve came next.

Mayor Kent

Mayor Kent reminded aldermen that they have about $1 million available, which would be $250,000 per ward if divided evenly. However, one street in particular, Moss Hill Drive, is actually in two different wards.

A study was done this past year and Sam T. Barkley, Moss Hill Drive, Oxford Road, Glendale Road, Carter Avenue, McGraw Street and Highland Avenue have all been mentioned as needing work.

Mayor Kent asked the aldermen to send their list of preferences to him and indicated they will try to allocate money based on objective need. Alderman Anderson said it would be wise to save some of the money for future repairs and Ward Four Alderman Will Tucker suggested that some work be done with the newer cape seal process, which will save money as well.

Also on the agenda was a discussion of the spray park at BNA Bank Park. This past month the board learned that the park needs about $40,000 or more in repair work and some relocation of equipment. A question was whether to repair the park, shut it down or replace it with something better.

Mayor Kent said Tuesday that he thought it would be safe to delay further discussion to the May board meeting. “Right now we don’t even know if we will open it,” he said, referring to the current sheltering order.

Ward One Alderman Amy Livingston said she wanted to hear more from the public concerning what they would like to see. She said she has heard comments about the increase in price to $4, about long waiting lines and that the park was dirty.

Ward Three Alderman Kevin Dale White said some of his constituents don’t like the present location and would prefer to see something like a splash park or wade pool.

Mayor Kent said a pool would initially cost about $800,000 to $1 million but Alderman Livingston said that was not necessarily the case and there might be options such as the one in front of Tupelo City Hall that might be less expensive.

Some people have expressed interest in having something near the community center, Livingston added, and if the city does close the spray park the public is likely to want something in its place immediately.

Mayor Kent said that people do come from Tupelo, Oxford and other towns to use the spray park, particularly because of the water slide.

Board members did agree to delay further discussion until the May meeting.

In departmental business, light, gas and water manager Bill Mattox mostly requested approval for payment concerning ongoing projects. That includes the Marshall County gas expansion project, the new wastewater treatment plant and the planned $13.5 million bond issue that will help pay for the former Fred’s building renovation and construction of a new electric power substation.

Now that pipe has been laid from the present wastewater treatment plant to the new site north of the city, Mattox said the major contractor is at the new site and beginning work.

Mattox reported that the utility has also purchased the building on Carter Avenue now used by the WIC office. The building was owned by Journal, Inc. in Tupelo and when the city purchased the Fred’s property, Journal officials approached the city about the WIC building and adjoining lot. Mattox said the building would probably become the home of municipal court, freeing more space in the Fred’s building for the light, gas and water and police departments.

Mattox said his department has also purchased five acres on Hwy. 348 for construction the planned electric substation. The present substation is in need of replacement and also needs to be more removed from the adjacent TVA substation.

Mattox also briefly reported that two department vehicles were successfully sold in a recent county government auction. A surplus bucket truck brought $8,237 and a pickup sold for $651, prices he was pleased with, he said.

Police Chief Chris Robertson only had one item to bring up. He said a vehicle had pulled out in front of one of the patrol cars, a 2016 Dodge Charger, resulting in damage that would cost $6,617.40 to repair at Windham’s Body Shop. Richey’s Body Shop quoted $6,734.66 and aldermen accepted the lower quote.

Aldermen approved a pay request for the nearly-completed new New Albany-Union County Airport terminal in the amount of $8,450 to Gaver.

Building inspector Eric Thomas had one item to bring up. He said New Albany Health and Rehab on Glenfield Road is requesting it add on to the present building. Thomas said they plan to add 21 beds on the north side of the building, but that they will be private rooms and not affect capacity, spreading people out instead. He said the planning and zoning board approved the request.

In general business, a public hearing was scheduled on a request to rezone 1124 and 1148 Martintown Road from A-1 agricultural to R-2 residential. Billy and Martha Kate Wiseman made the request to prepare for possibly selling property for residential housing. No objections had been made and no one was present to object and the planning and zoning board had previously approved the request so aldermen granted it.

Aldermen approved a list of people with delinquent municipal court fines to send to the state tax commission. Under a recent law, if a person has a delinquent fine and will also receive a refund from state income tax the city may recoup that fine from the refund before it goes to the taxpayer. Mayor Kent said those on the list have already received letters informing them of what will happen if they continue to not pay fines.

Ward Three Alderman Kevin Dale White said he wants to move ahead on hiring a new fire chief. Mayor Kent said the issue had unofficially been put on hold during the pandemic and because things were working well with deputy chief Mark Whiteside. “Mark is doing a good job as acting fire chief and maybe next month things will be a little better,” Kent said.

He added that they have six applicants and will need to pick some to interview, which likely will have to be done through teleconferencing. White agreed it would be all right to delay interviews until May when it may be done in person.

Before the board adjourned, Ward One Alderman Livingstone suggested the mayor do a public service video to remind people of the governor’s orders in light of it being Easter weekend, when people might otherwise be planning group activities.