Main Street repairs to cost city $1 million
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Hillsboro will pay nearly one million dollars out of its capital improvement fund to complete repairs on Main Street in upcoming years, the Hillsboro City Council heard Tuesday.
The first section to be completed begins at First Street and ends at A Street. This section also includes s short section of Grand Street running from First Mennonite Church on the east to Washington on the west. This chunk of Main is by far the most expensive, with a $610,000 price tag.
The next section the city will tackle begins at Third Street and ends at First. That segment will cost $220,000. The final segment, starting at A and ending at D Street, will cost $130,000
The city will have enough in its capital improvement fund over the next few years to complete all these projects, said Steve Garrett, city administrator.
Although the sum of money required seems intimidating, the city really has no other options, said Mayor Delores Dalke.
"I think we have a choice: to do it or to let it go," Dalke said.
The project has to be done, said council member Wendell Dirks.
Now the city needs to get the project moving forward as quickly as possible so that construction can begin early in 2003. That way, construction won't interfere with big Hillsboro events such as the county fair, Dalke said.
Also at Tuesday's meeting, the council voted to create the new position of sergeant in the Hillsboro Police Department.
The new position wouldn't require the city to hire another officer. Instead, the police sergeant would have a more supervisory role on the force.
"People take directions better from superiors than their peers," said Police Chief Dan Kinning.
Other responsibilities for the sergeant would include overseeing equipment inspection and the part-time and reserve officers.
"I just don't have the time to do it," Kinning said.
The new position will take effect immediately, but the three-percent pay increase that comes with the job won't go into effect until January of 2003.
Kinning did not indicate which officer would be promoted to the new position.
In other council business:
— The council decided not to take any action on a request by the Hillsboro Historical Society that would make the grounds of the former Dari-ette drive-in part of the museum complex at D and Ash streets.
A letter from Richard Wall, president of the historical society, made the request. He also asked that the fence currently surrounding the museum complex be extended to include the area.
Council member questioned the society's use of the property.
"I think we need we need to know what they're going to use the area for," said council member Mike Padgett.
