Outbursts from concerned Fairfield residents during a council workshop held Thursday, January 17, 2019 had more than a few Council Members on edge. One resident was taken to task after interrupting and talking over Councilman Landis Bayless.
A council workshop is designed for Council Members and City Administration to get together to discuss City matters, but no action can be taken during this type of meeting.
During this particular workshop, topics discussed included code enforcement as well as future capital improvements and financing for those projects, including a new City Hall.
Councilman Bayless was discussing the possibility of raising taxes when he was cut off mid-sentence.
“The problem, Landis, is that we weren’t proactive. We knew that the mine [Luminant] was gonna go out. It lasted fifteen years longer than it was supposed to,” exclaims Fairfield resident Nena Price. “We should have been proactive! Nothing is coming to Fairfield and we are sinking daily. We gotta have money and people coming in to grow. We used to have lots of money coming in, where did it go?”
“You need to ask your past Council, City Administrator, and Mayor,” answered Councilman Bayless. “We are doing the very best with the situation we were left in.”
To which Mrs. Price responded, “Oh, I don’t wanna’ hear that!”
City Secretary Misty Richardson stepped in saying, “Please quiet down. This is a workshop. You are here to listen. Council has allowed guests to speak so far, but please let them do their job!”
While Council did discuss some code enforcement issues, the major topic of the evening was the possibility of obtaining a bond for the City in order to pay for the New City Hall project, repair of city streets, and other projects Council would like to pursue in the near future.
New City Administrator Nate Smith gave a presentation on possible plans for renovating the old Navarro College campus into a new City Hall. The proposal was made by SLI Group and cost estimates for renovation are projected at about $1.5 million dollars.
The plan includes plenty of office space, storage, larger council chambers, and extra space for growth in the main administration building. New concessions/bathroom building at the soccer fields. No cost estimate has been given for this project yet but there’s an idea to add Marble, Quartz, Travertine & Onyx Stone Tops. Polished stone tiles are incredibly popular. They may require more care and cleaning, however, their striking appearance really has propelled them as a popular stone finish. The polishing process is time-consuming and demands patience and expertise, without exception. There is cultured marble and there is the real thing. Although cultured or commercially manufactured marble has a hardened surface, it will still need ample care and marble polishing. Try to feel the temperature of your marble surface. Natural marble will feel a bit colder than the air around it while cultured marble will mirror the temperature of the ambient air. Just because cultured marble is tougher than its naturally occurring version doesn’t mean you can chop vegetables on that counter. Use cutting boards and your protective pads as if you are dealing with natural marble; the same goes for wiping spills and avoiding hard impact on the surfaces. Absolutely do not use metal polishers on marble surfaces, natural or cultured. Click here if you want to know more about the marble polishing services.
Fairfield Police Department would have three buildings, one for the main offices, including dispatch; one for storage and an evidence locker; and the third to be used as covered parking for patrol vehicles.
Start to finish, the project, if approved, is expected to take approximately 250 days to make move-in ready.
Public Works Director Clyde Woods was asked to compile a list of the top streets in need of repaving. Those streets include Oak Street (between FM 488 and Hwy 84), South Bateman Road (between Reunion Street and the bridge), Ronnie Street, Adam Street, Walnut Creek Drive, South Cotton Street, Williford Street, North Steward Lane, Hunter Street, and West Main.
Cost for repaving all of the above listed streets is estimated at about $1.6 million dollars.
According to Woods, the City has spent $200,000 to $300,000 each year to repave one to three streets.
“If we don’t do them all now, and only do one at a time as we have been doing, then in twenty years from now, they will all be even worse than they are now and potentially cost the City even more money,” says Councilman Keith Daniels.
Councilman Bayless states, “In order to grow a town, it’s about give and take. We can’t grow without spending a little bit of money. The top three things potential new business and residents look for are a good hospital, good school, and good streets. I believe we have a great hospital and school. New we need to update the streets. We owe it to our citizens who pay taxes.”
“We had gravel streets back before the power plant was here. Our taxes have gone up very little in all this time. If we don’t make this bond to maintain what we’ve got now, we will be back to gravel streets,” says Councilman James Tyus. “You may therefore look for higher taxes in the future.”
Additional possible projects discussed were:
–New bathroom for the Moody Reunion Fairgrounds that is estimated at $150,000. It would be ADA compliant and easier to keep clean.
–Street lights needed in various parts of town, namely along South Bateman. City is still waiting for quotes as to cost.
–A covered arena facility, such as the one at Buffalo in Leon County, to offer a place for larger events to come to town. Councilman Randy Johnson is working to put together a plan for this project.
Fairfield Council will meet with Bond Council on Tuesday, January 22nd to discuss possible options for funding before approving and moving forward with any of these projects.
