Athens City Hall

Six streets in Athens are set to be improved in the coming months following Athens City Council action Monday.

Council members approved requests by Athens Public Works Director James Rich to amend the city’s bituminous plant mix paving contract with Reed Contracting Services to do the following work:

• Mill and pave some pavement failures in the eastbound lane of Market Street from Malone Street to Houston Street for about $20,000, to be paid for with gas tax funds; and

• Overlay Morningview Street, Christopher Street and Ryan Street for approximately $83,000, to be paid for with equal parts gas tax and sewer department funds.

The council also agreed to have Reed mill and pave the streets in Roselawn Cemetery for no more than $135,000. During the meeting, Mayor Ronnie Marks said the city’s initial estimate for the cemetery work was about $600,000, which Marks felt was much too high.

Rich said Tuesday the first estimate was high in part because it called for installing some concrete gutters to better define the roadway. The projected cost is lower now due to lower asphalt costs over the past couple of years and the elimination of the concrete gutters, he said.

In addition to the projects for Reed, the council agreed to have the city’s Street Department replace the culvert on Sunset Street near the intersection of Sunset and Fifth Avenue for no more than $45,000. Rich said the street is simply old and even has an old, handmade guardrail. He said the drainage culvert under the road is also old and too narrow. Widening the intersection and putting in a wider culvert should remedy the problem.

The project will be paid for with gas tax funds, Rich said.

Other business

In other business Monday, council members took the following action:

• Approved a request by Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson to declare as surplus three 2008 Chevrolet Impala cars and one 1993 Chevrolet 1500 truck so they can be sold at public auction; and

• Approved a request by Athens Utilities Gas Department Manager Steve Carter to buy two 2020 Dodge Ram 5500 crew cab trucks with service bodies for a total of $128,991 from Tallahassee Automotive Inc. Carter said $140,000 had already been set aside in the Fiscal Year 2020 Gas Department budget to replace the old trucks.