1. A new turn lane is coming to North Mays Street near Meridian School. Council finalized a project that has been in the works for four years, according to Director of Transportation Gary Hudder. Hudder said the city is working to alleviate the backup of traffic on North Mays Street during high traffic hours at Meridian School. The school's pickup and dropoff traffic often generates a line down the street that creates issues for local businesses and drivers. To solve this problem, the city is restriping Mays Street and creating a dedicated right turn lane from Mays Street to the Meridian School project site. The project will cost just under $250,000.
2. The city is shopping for a power provider. The city is looking for a power provider to provide electricity to the city from June 2021 through 2023 or 2024. Even though the city currently has a contract that extends through June 2021, the city's CFO, Susan Morgan, said it would be prudent to start shopping around now, when power costs are lower than they are projected to be in the future. The city council approved a resolution to allow Mayor Craig Morgan to negotiate a contract with another provider.
3. Council approved new play equipment for Rabb Pavilion at Old Settlers Park. The equipment itself will cost just under $115,000 and its installation will cost an additional $49,000. Parks and Recreation Director Rick Atkins said the parks department likes to replace playgrounds once every ten years, and the current playground at Rabb Pavilion has been in place for almost 17 years. Atkins said the new playground will be comparable to the equipment at Joanne Land Playground, which is also located at Old Settlers Park.
4. Roundville Lane will be extended to Louis Henna Boulevard. The council approved a deal with the United Parcel Service to extend Roundville Lane where it currently stops, further to Louis Henna Boulevard. The council also approved a proposed signal that would be placed at Roundville Lane and A.W. Grimes Boulevard.
