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Salem City Council approves appraisals, airport striping and Halloween street closure
Summary
At a regular Salem City Council meeting, aldermen approved hiring an appraiser for four parcels, awarded an airport runway/taxiway striping contract for $14,980.10 and authorized a temporary closure of 4th Street for a trunk-or-treat event on Oct. 31.
The Salem City Council approved three operational items at its recent meeting: a contract to appraise several commercial parcels, a $14,980.10 award for airport runway and taxiway striping, and a temporary street closure for a Halloween trunk-or-treat event.
The council voted to hire appraiser John Smallwood to value four parcels — three in the Masters Industrial Park and one described as the Old Middle School ground — after staff said appraisals are needed to market the properties. Economic development staff member Carrie recommended Smallwood “due to his responsiveness to the calls and emails, and then, of course, his service time frame,” and said he could complete the work in about a week or two. The department noted $6,000 had already been budgeted for appraisals; Smallwood’s bid was $3,550.
Why it matters: knowing market values will let the city complete marketing and potential sale steps for parcels in the industrial park and for the parcel previously discussed in past resolutions.
The council also awarded the airport striping contract to RF Ceiling and Striping LLC for $14,980.10, the lower of two bids. Stephen Payne, director of public works, told the council that the current paint on the runway and taxiway “is barely discernible and presents a safety hazard as is,” and recommended the lower bid from the contractor that had done the previous work. Payne said the airport’s capital improvement fund would cover procurement; $18,000 had been budgeted for the project.
Aldermen moved and approved a temporary closure of 4th Street from Main Street (Highway 19) to McArthur for a trunk-or-treat event planned for Oct. 31, with event hours discussed at about 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The mayor noted Officer Chris Rollins usually hosts the event and Salem Police will assist to provide a safe trick-or-treat area for children.
Other meeting business included approval to send the city clerk (referred to as Tammy) as the city’s employer delegate to an annual meeting, a roundup of community events and city staff reports on infrastructure work (wastewater, water-line repairs, curb-and-gutter on West Bergman and streetlight and street repairs).
Before adjourning, the council voted to enter a closed session for attorney-client privilege.
The meeting included the usual roll call and staff updates; Alderman Whelan was recorded absent.
