CLAYPOOL – Town Council approved $44,310 in street and sidewalk work during its meeting Monday. Claypool council members chose Gaunt and Son Asphalt Inc. to repave sections of Main and Clay streets at a cost of $19,110, and Heiman Construction Inc. to repair the east-side sidewalk from Section to Calhoun streets at a cost of $25,200. They made the decisions after hearing four companies’ bids for the two types of work. Town Superintendent Gene Warner had estimated a cost of $34,000 to $50,000 after gathering preliminary numbers last month. Council member Don Miller abstained from the vote because he is an employee of Phend and Brown Inc., which also submitted a bid along with Niblock Excavating Inc. The work will be paid with a $34,668 CD that matures Thursday and with money from the streets fund, which currently has $18,000, according to town Clerk-Treasurer Connie Morgan. Miller remarked that if the streets are allowed to go for another season they may start to crumble. Warner noted they have been patching Clay and Main streets frequently. Before learning the streets fund could cover the difference, members indicated street repaving would take priority. “There’s some consideration of downtown, what we invest in it and what we gain from it,” Miller noted. “My personal feeling is, we can’t expect anybody to set up a business downtown without any improvements.” Dave Morgan, owner of Red’s Sweets downtown, agreed that finding funding for both street and the sidewalk would show support for businesses. “To me, as a business owner, it shows we’re serious about it if we do both,” he said. And council learned that with the resignation from the town park board of Paul Berkey, who moved out of town, the board has basically dissolved. Other members have also quit in recent months since the six-member board was formed last summer in order to apply for park project grants. Since $400 remains in the park board fund, council approved Morgan’s request to purchase two nets for the town basketball court at a cost of $34.99 each.
