Print |
E-mail to a friend
NEWS
Council to vote on stimulus funding
City of Huntington and tourism officials have plans to clean up the alleyway that stretches from behind LoveÕs Hardware and Mack & DaveÕs to Heritage Village and the Convention and VisitorÕs Bureau.
Purchase this photo
HUNTINGTON -- Huntington City Council will vote Monday evening to accept stimulus dollars that will be used to provide a safer, more inviting link between two key components of the downtown.
The $160,000 grant from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act will be spent on a variety of improvements to 2 1/2 Alley between 10th and 11th streets. The city and Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone will kick in $40,000 as a local match.
The alley has been identified as a vital link between Pullman Square and Heritage Village, which now is home to the Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau. Heritage Village also includes a collection of shops and businesses at the old B&O Railroad depot.
The work will be administered by the state Division of Highways and will consist of a concrete sidewalk and curbs, ornamental streetlights and fencing and landscaping, said Charles Holley, director of development and planning for the city. The CVB is assisting with the project by working with American Electric Power to install a brick and panel fence around the electrical substation on the northwest corner of 11th Street and 21/2 Alley, he said.
The new fence will block pedestrians' view of the substation and will enhance the new streetscape design with decorative panels that emphasize the Ohio River, rail system and the role of coal in the national energy market, Holley said. The city is considering using removable panels so that they can be changed throughout the year, he said.
The entire project could be completed by as early as fall 2010.
The council meets at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 800 5th Ave. The meeting also is televised live on channel 24 on the Comcast Cable system. Here's a look at other items on the agenda:
TAX AUDITS: The council will discuss the first reading of an ordinance that approves a contract with the law firm of Bailes, Craig and Yon to undertake business and occupation tax collections.
The law firm will contract with an accounting firm to perform audits of business and occupation taxes. The accounting firm would be paid no more than $75 an hour, while attorney fees would range from $150 to $285 per hour. Each audit would take no more than three hours to conduct, Finance Director Deron Runyon said.
The city already contracts with a Columbus, Ohio-based agency that collects delinquent municipal and refuse fees.
FIRE TRUCKS: The council will vote on the second reading of an ordinance authorizing the purchase of a new pumper truck for the Fire Department and discuss the first reading of another ordinance to purchase a ladder truck for $974,799. Both contracts would be awarded to ABC Fire Services of Lavalette. The vehicles would be lease-purchased over 10 years with general fund dollars and the Cabell County fire levy.
POLICE VEHICLES: The council will discuss the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the purchase of three 2010 Chevy Tahoes and one cruiser for the Police Department. The Tahoes are $83,213 and will be purchased with an Edward G. Byrne Department of Justice grant, Community Participation grant and collision-loss recovery funds from previously wrecked cruisers.
The cruiser is $24,290 and will be purchased with Byrne grant funds.
DOG TETHERING: The council will once again discuss an ordinance on first reading that prohibits the tethering of dogs.
A final draft of the ordinance had not been prepared as of Friday, but assistant city attorney Lora Maynard said the measure likely would be a simplified version of previous proposals that took into account factors such as the outside temperature. Councilman Jim Ritter is sponsoring the ordinance.
RESTAURANT: The council will vote on the second reading of an ordinance rezoning the Adams Landing Marina in Guyandotte from R-2 residential to C-2 highway commercial.
The rezoning will allow the marina to open a restaurant called Schooner's Bar & Grill, marina owner Kenny Boggs said. The restaurant sits on a two-story converted barge that was once located on the Ohio River in Covington, Ky., he said. It would open sometime during the first quarter of 2010.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM: The council will vote on a resolution honoring the Spring Valley High School volleyball team for winning the state Class AAA championship on Nov. 14.
