Alley runoff stirs political debate at Council meeting

City Council members heard from a resident concerned about alley maintenance during their meeting Monday night.

"It's a small matter for them; it's a huge matter for me," Vineé Thompson said about what it would take for Public Works Department workers to prevent gravel and debris runoff from an alley near two of her rental properties.

The gravel washes down from the alley to the sidewalks and yards of 123 and 135 9th Street, she told council members.

Since 2002 the previous mayor took care of the issue, she said, but the current administration has not.

Mayor Bob Rice may have chosen to personally deal with the issue, current Mayor Tim Solomon said.

"And I don't feel it is a city responsibility," he said.

While the city maintains streets and alley ways, adjacent property owners are responsible for maintenance of weeds and sidewalks, Public Works Director Dave Peterson said this morning.

"We went in and we maintained the alley," he said, adding that means grading the alleys at least twice per year.

"But we don't go in and clean sidewalks or anything like that," he said.

Also, several years ago his department put down asphalt remnants with the purpose of it packing harder than gravel, he said.

"So we haven't done anything different than we have in years past," he said.

Mayor Rice may have done work to the sidewalks on his own, Peterson said.

"But that was the mayor then, and that was his choice," he said.

The issue caused some contention on the council itself.

Council member Gerry Vies moved that the issue be moved to the Streets and Sidewalks Committee. The vote was 7-1 to do so, with Pam Hillery dissenting.

"I just thought, what are we going to do in committee," she said after the meeting. If the council will not be able to do anything about the issue, that decision should not be delayed by sending it to committee, she added.

Sometimes it's easy to push concerns to committee and hope that they go away, she said.

"But our alleys don't go away," she said.

"This isn't an isolated situation," she added.

"What else can you do?" She said.

"We can't pave alleys."

The committee will meet Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. Council in brief City Council members unanimously:

• Approved a contract with the Department of Environmental Quality for more than $120,000 to be spent on energy retrofits.
• The funds will be combined with $50,000 in grant money from the Department of Energy to complete work to replace all the lights at the city shop and do work on the mechanical controls and air handler units at City Hall.

  "It'll be savings to the city because it's grant money ... ," Peterson said.

  "So that payback is immediate."

  • Approved the street closure of 3rd Avenue West Thursday, Sept. 9, for an end of summer barbecue at the Golden Spike. Council members also approved the closure of the same street on Saturday, Sept. 18, for the guppie derby fundraiser for Bullhook Community Health Center and Dental Clinic.