By Sara Price
Huntington City Council met on Aug. 21 to discuss various items on the agenda. First, the council reviewed business licenses. A new business coming to Huntington called Trail Riders will be run by Tammy Gordon. Council members look forward to hearing more information about the developing business as it becomes available.
The pre-disaster mitigation plan was also approved. The plan sets in writing an agreement between towns to cooperate in times of fire and other disasters. Council members also discussed applying for federal grants using E-Civics, a service that does work for a fee with a high success rate. Council members asked for more information regarding the service and will decided at future council meetings whether or not to apply for the grants. Funds from these grants would help build a new grandstand at the rodeo grounds, update the kitchen at the concession stand and create a park trail system.
A master plan committee was put together, comprised of members approved by the council. The committee’s responsibility will be to look at the future of Huntington City and help create a brighter economic picture for the area.
Utah Department of Transportation is adding a sidewalk on the east side of SR10 at the Heritage Mortuary drive to 400 East. The sidewalk will run all the way to the bridge. Huntington City will be responsible for $9,475 of the project while UDOT will fund the other $28,425 to make the project a reality.
The transportation department also plans on adding more streetlights in Huntington. UDOT’s major 2014 project will be the addition of a stop light at the three-way intersection where Huntington City meets the canyon turnoff.
Roots from an old cottonwood tree have crawled under the foundation and are causing problems at Huntington City Hall. The tree may soon be removed. The council is seeking two bids for the project and the tree owner has agreed to allow the removal of the large cottonwood and smaller trees be planted in its stead.
The council voted to change the Huntington fire station secretary from a paid employee to a stipend position. Huntington’s fire chief wants to train all the firefighters to be able to serve the secretary duty due to a high turnover rate at this position. By moving this role to stipend salary, it will save paperwork and taxes while not reducing the pay.
Hart’s Field is looking at a makeover for a 55 foot by 100 foot section of dirt behind the dugout. Council members along with Eagle Scouts want to place a sprinkler system, grass, trees and a cement pad that will become a future pavilion with picnic tables. Huntington citizens would also like to see a sand pit or some other small kid related play area to entertain children during games and prevent them from crossing the busy street to the playground across the road.
The council approved to continue leasing a backhoe instead of purchasing a new or used one. The lease removes maintenance costs however, the city is still responsible to pay for tires and any body damage to the backhoe at the end of the lease period.
Another piece of heavy equipment that needs attention is the boom truck. City workers who have climbed in the bucket, noticed that it’s pulling away from the boom. Council members wanted more information so they could address the situation during their next meeting. The council is worried that if the boom truck went out of service, they would have to scramble to find another way to put up the Christmas decorations this year.
Zoning administrator, Gary Arrington was happy to report that the city has few buildings left that need to be torn down. Arrington also addressed concerns regarding Castle Valley Storage. Although the company is not breaking any rules, the council would like to see the business site covered in some way. Council members are considering planting trees on the city side of the property to help beautify the area.
Arrington also addressed the problem of weeds. Many people commented that this year has been the worst for weeds. They’re overrunning fences, sidewalks and signs. Arrington asked for permission to beef up the noxious weed ordinance allowing him enough teeth to solve the problem in coming years.