Pioneer Village in good shape to tackle winter snow removal

 PIONEER VILLAGE - With the regular meeting date of the  Pioneer Village City Council set for Christmas, town board members did what you would expect — they rescheduled.

Before that was determined during the November meeting, councilmembers were told that the city is ready for snow removal.

Mayor Gary Hatcher announced  that the city was in fine shape to battle any substantial snowfall this season.

“All of our equipment is ready for snow removal,” he said, adding that two consecutive mild winters resulted in a stockpile of road salt.

The Dec. 25 meeting was postponed, replaced by a special meeting scheduled for Dec. 17.

The city’s annual Christmas dinner will take place prior to the special meeting, at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited.

The special meeting will include a swearing-in ceremony for council members, including new members Tony Thompson and Gary Wilson.

“I just want to continue the work you guys are doing,” Thompson said to the council during the November meeting.

Council member Terry Lee did not seek re-election. He served one term on the council.

Denver Matthews officially ran but did not actively campaign. Matthews first served on the council in 1994, leaving with an accumulated 16 years of service.

“Sometimes when you serve on something for so long, you start to get rusty,” Matthews told fellow council members.

In other business:

- City officials have determined a new glitch in the city’s updated area maps.

The maps are implemented by the state to determine insurance tax payments and collections.

City attorney Mark Edison said one residence was included within the city limits that was not actually in.

City clerk Ricki Daniels first noticed the glitch. The state’s map was compared to a recent map prepared by surveyor Brad Armstrong, showing the difference.

Edison will contact the state in an attempt to have the map corrected.

- Hatcher presented a letter from the state in response to a city request for speed limit adjustments along Preston Highway.

The city hoped that the entire stretch of Preston within city limits would be streamlined. There are currently two separate limits, one set at 45 MPH and the other at 55.

According to Hatcher, the state’s response was that it supported the entire road fixed at 55.

“We never asked for an increase,” said Hatcher. “We asked for a decrease.”

Hatcher added that the state’s suggestion to the city’s request: “Police enforcement encouraged.”

Council members wondered about the state’s survey results regarding traffic on Preston. Edison said the council could request survey data from the state.

- The next scheduled Pioneer Village City Council meeting takes place Monday, Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m., at Becknell Hall on Summitt Dr. following the city’s Christmas dinner. At a special meeting, only agenda items will be discussed. The public is invited to attend.