Cloverdale council continues making improvements

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Town Council met Tuesday evening for its monthly meeting, during which it made several positive changes for the town.

As previously discussed, the town is moving forward with its grant application for the storm water drainage and is now taking any steps that may increase its odds of receiving it.

Clerk-Treasurer Cheryl Galloway informed the council that she recently met with Lori Young of Curry and Associates to discuss the next step to take to apply for the grant, which will be doing income surveys.

"People on Lafayette Street will probably be getting a call from us," Galloway said. "We need at least 125 people to participate."

It is estimated that the construction cost of the project, which will occur on Lafayette Street from Logan Street to just south of Doe Creek Drive, will be $394,570.

Galloway previously came before the council following a discussion with Young last month to establish a storm water utility, which could help the town get a much-needed grant in the future.

However, in order to establish the utility itself an ordinance is needed, which requires a utility board to be created. This new board must include three citizen members to join, as the board is separate from the council itself.

"This is something I think the town needs," Town Attorney Alan Yackey said. "But it's something that's going to require some more input."

Therefore, the ordinance was formally introduced, but cannot proceed until the board has been established.

Council member Dennis Padgett also brought up the drainage issue on Lafayette Street to the council as it had previously agreed to proceed with adding extra pipe and catch basins to the street.

"This is just a temporary fix," Padgett said. "I realize we're trying to get a grant and if we get it, I hope we do, but if we don't, we need to try and stop some of this water. We're just destroying homes down there and people are moving out. It floods all the houses through there."

Padgett and Utility Manager Richard Saucerman had constructed a plan for the project, which would begin at Boone Street and go south to Doe Creek Lift Station. The cost is estimated at $15,000.

"Lori Young at the meeting was strongly in favor of us doing something like this," Sublett said. "It's a serious problem. Something like this would be a great benefit."

The council agreed that for $15,000 it was worth it to fix the issue.

Town Marshal Michael Clark also came before the council to give his monthly update, in which he informed the council that he is slowly hiring more reserve officers.

"Since I've been here I've been steadily adding reserve officers," Clark said. "I'm at eight officers now. Out of that, all of them have experience with the exception of one. So, we're getting some good quality reserves coming on."

Clark also noted that although experienced, he has instituted a field-training program before an officer is allowed on duty.

"Even though they have experience, we need to put them through our training to show them the way we do things and to make sure everything is documented," the marshal explained.

According to an ordinance that was previously created, the department is allowed to have a total of 10 officers. Clark hopes to reach that number in the coming months.

With the hiring of more reserves, the department is also lacking enough equipment.

After checking around on prices, Clark was approved by the council to purchase two new portable radios as well as two extra batteries for a total of $3,368. With this purchase, the department will have a total of six radios.

After doing some research on the subject, the council once again addressed the issue with Jim and Judy Hacker's water tap.

The couple noted that in 1974 an ordinance was created which would allow them to tap on the town's water for free.

Sublett said that after examining all deeds and easements at both the courthouse, ASA Land Surveying and at the bank, the town found no easement for their property.

"We found no record whatsoever for an easement," Sublett said. "Richard and I did do an extensive search for three days to find this easement and we couldn't find it."

The Hackers believe that the waterlines do indeed go through their property and thus their request should be granted.

"If you have waterlines without an easement there should be a correction on that," Judy said. "I'm 70. I'm not going to be here for 30 years, but when the property goes forward there needs to be corrections on it. We're asking this to be addressed in a corrective manner so things are not left dangling as we've discovered."

Due to lack of evidence, the town believes that the lines do not go through the Hackers' land, rather through the right of way.

"Mr. Sublett has gone through additional work with the county, the county surveyor and the officials that we deal with in government that tell us that any lines that are in there are in the right of way," Yackey said. "Based on what we're told, all of the lines relating to the property you're talking about are in the right of way. If they are, then that's the end of discussion."

Yackey advised the Hackers that if they can provide a current survey of the land that shows that the lines go through the property to bring it before the council during the November meeting.