South English Council Discusses Road Repair Costs

SOUTH ENGLISH – During the April 10 meeting of the South English City Council, the council discussed a $44,922 proposal from LL Pelling Co to repair all of the damaged streets in town. City Clerk Alexia Van Dyke stated that there is only around $18,000 in the street account, less than half of what is needed. Councilman Nick Frazier stated that material costs were ridiculous right now. Mayor Ed Shafranek stated that the city didn’t want to let roads get away from them and that many streets are starting to crack. Frazier noted that the roads the city neglects will be twice as bad next year. Shafranek stated that every cost was higher recently, except for how much the state gives towns for road repair. Van Dyke stated the city could use ARPA funds to help with the project, although doing so would nearly empty the account. Councilman Cameron Miller suggested going around town and figuring out which roads are the most damaged, then having LL Pelling repair those roads specifically. The topic was tabled for one month.

The council discussed difficulties in finding people to sit on the library board and discussed putting an ad in the paper, putting something on Facebook, and hanging a sign on the library door.

Keokuk County Sheriff Candidate Adam Clark attended the meeting. He explained that he had been a deputy for ten years, had served two tours in Iraq and was currently a member of the Sigourney School Board and Sigourney City Council. He stated he wanted to be proactive in the community and help towns with code enforcement. Clark brought up a plan to hire a school resource officer shared between Sigourney, Keota and Tri-County. He stated this would make parents feel safer and give students a positive view of law enforcement. He brought up the shooting at Perry High School, saying that the department needs to be proactive and have proper training.