New London ready for more housing developments

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News

NEW LONDON ? For a few tense minutes, those attending the New London City Council meeting Tuesday night may have wondered if a meeting would ever actually take place.

Following an at-times fiery joint session between the council and the city?s utility board, the three-man council sat in limbo, waiting for someone to second the motion to approve the agenda and begin the meeting.

Councilman Kirk Miller had made a motion to approve the agenda. His motion went un-seconded for over a minute. Frank Staley quietly seconded the motion. Councilmen Tom Davis and Dan Berner were absent from the meeting.

Once the meeting was underway, the council approved the final plat for the Adams Street Subdivision before public hearings were conducted and the sales of the five lots were authorized. With no comment or questions, Dave Weigert, Jeremy Dudley, Mira Dingman, Lee Herrick and Rod Myers became owners of properties in the Adams Street Subdivision.

?We need to make a decision, are we going to open up more lots?? asked Miller.

The proposed new subdivision would be along South Pine Street. Miller said there would be room for 30-some lots.

?I know we can?t vote on it, but it looks like we?re all looking at the Pine Street access,? he said, noting if the first set of houses were built facing Pine Street it would save the city from having to build infrastructure right away.

?I can?t disagree,? said Malott.

Malott went on to recount discussion from when the city first decided to ?dip their toe? into developing residential areas. The test was to be the five lots in the Adams Street Subdivision. If they sold, and especially if they sold quickly, the council said they would be willing to look at developing other areas.

The council agreed to have engineer Matt White look into how best to develop the South Pine Street area.

As for constructing a sidewalk on South Pine Street leading to the new Dollar General, the council held off on further discussion as its development could be part of the subdivision.

In other building news, the council approved a bid from Staley and Nehring Construction for the shelter house improvements. The bid was for $37,245.73.

The city had allotted $30,000 in the budget for the shelter house improvements as well as $40,000 for updates to the new community center. As the community center project is on the back burner for now, the council agreed to use some funds earmarked for that project to assist with the shelter house improvements.

The council also discussed repaving Elm and Cleveland streets and replacing the storm sewer from the school?s football field to Elm Street.

The paving from Wilson Street to the east side of Elm Street, including doing all of the intakes, was estimated at just shy of $200,000. Hooking up the sewer from the school to Elm Street would cost an additional $20,000-$25,000.

?So that?s basically $220,000 to pave a block and do the sewer work. That?s not cheap,? commented Malott.

$60,000 had been budgeted for road improvement work.

The council members agreed the road needs work and suggested maybe doing a smaller portion of the block.

In other business, the council:

? Approved advertising expenses for Movies in the park.

? Approved employees? annual and hourly wages for the fiscal year 2017-2018.

? Suspended the police department?s ride along policy.

? Approved purchasing four new body cameras for the police department.

? Approved purchasing security cameras for the police department.

The New London City Council?s next regular meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 11, at 6 p.m. The meeting has been pushed back a week from its normal meeting date as it?s a holiday.