Lennox City Council held their first meeting of the month on Monday night. Considerable discussion was held regarding the on-going construction in the City.
The council was very concerned by the fact that there is still debris in the fill dirt that is being placed on the land in the Industrial Park on south Main. There are on-going negotiations to sell that property and if the fill dirt is not properly applied, it could affect the sale. First Rate Excavate, Inc. is the contractor; they are supposed to place only clean fill dirt from the construction site on the south Main property.
Stockwell Engineer Mitch Mergen said if they are placing debris on the site, they are in violation of contract and he will be addressing the issue with them this week.
Councilman Marlyn Jacobson also expressed concern about a catch basin that was placed incorrectly. Mergen agreed that the placement was wrong, but that it would still work correctly. The engineers will confirm that before work goes forward.
Asphalt work was continuing at Garfield, Fifth and Academy this week. There is still a lot of work to complete; the contractor will continue to work while weather allows, but the remainder of it will have to be done in the spring.
Property owners in the area have had a long season of construction and more patience will be required as the project continues.
Next year, there will be no let up in construction in Lennox. The City is preparing for a Main St./Hwy 44 to 4th Ave. Paving and Utility Improvements project. The State DOT is also planning to move ahead with the Highway 17 reconstruction project and the walking path along Highway 44 is also slated to be completed in 2016.
While the improvements will be appreciated when complete, the construction process does take a toll on citizens and requires a great deal of patience.
The railroad crossing on Main Street was completed this week and motorists will notice a smooth transition over the tracks. That project has also grown in scope, with many landowners electing to replace sidewalks and driveways.
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