Council presses for drainage, park repairs and property cleanup in Moore Haven

Vice Mayor Jacob Eighner and other council members pressed staff at the Aug. 6 meeting for more attention to local maintenance and park repairs.

Eighner told City Manager Larry Tibbs the city’s culverts “have not been cleaned out in years” and asked that the existing $3,000 culvert budget be increased to cover cleaning or replacement. He recommended contracting vacuum truck service to clean new drainage boxes once a year or quarterly. Tibbs responded that staff will create a line item in the budget for culvert maintenance and add a capital improvements category for drainage upgrades.

Council members also discussed termite damage to picnic structures at Sampson Pond. Eighner and staff described a contractor quote for a replacement structure at $1,561.60 (material price, minus taxes) and estimated labor of about $2,000. Staff suggested installing a new structure on the existing concrete slab and relocating a picnic table from the Chalo Nitka grounds to the site.

Mayor Wayne Browning and staff also reported issues raised by residents about hogs damaging yards near the railroad and squatters on the 4‑H property. Miller said he contacted people and found squatters; City Attorney Steve Ramunni advised the council to “stay on top of them.” No formal enforcement action was recorded in the minutes.

The council discussed following up with Florida Department of Transportation representatives about graffiti and downed light poles, and City Manager Tibbs said crews had addressed recent mowing and edging complaints. The council did not take formal votes on the maintenance items beyond directing staff to add budget lines and obtain quotes.