Fremont contracts for street improvements
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on August 18, 2004 1:58 PM
FREMONT -- Motorists in Fremont may be riding on smoother roads after the town board approved a low bid for repaving streets and filling in potholes.
The board accepted a bid of $76,209 from Goldsboro Paving Co. for street repairs Tuesday.
Streets to be repaired include North Vance from Main to North streets, the 100 and 200 blocks of East North Street, the 200 block of South Vance Street, the 100 and 200 blocks of North Goldsboro Street, the 400 block of East South Street, the 300 block of Green Street, a section at Dock and Branch streets, the intersection at Goldsboro and Branch streets and two alleys.
The Goldsboro Paving Co. bid also included 18 patches around town. Two other area companies also submitted bids.
Tree removal bid
The board, however, did not accept a low bid to remove about 25 trees from road rights of way or other places until the bidder provided more information.
William's Tree Service of Goldsboro submitted the low bid of $7,850 to remove the trees and grind the stumps. But the bid did not identify which trees would be removed.
Town Administrator Kerry McDuffie said Fremont did not have the money for the project, but the funds could be taken from state Powell Bill money. The Powell Bill provides money for street repairs but also includes removal of trees from street rights of way or for those that create safety hazards.
The board's adviser, Neil Mallory of Henderson, asked the aldermen if the low bidder could identify which trees would be removed.
Alderman Billy Harvey's motion to authorize McDuffie to re-evaluate the bids and determine what trees would be covered by Powell Bill money was passed.
Cell phone policy
The town board passed a cell phone policy that McDuffie had recommended. Any town employee who uses his own cell phone for business will be reimbursed $15 a month. The town also eliminated all employee pagers, because most employees had cell phones that duplicated the pagers.
McDuffie told the board that construction of new sidewalks, the placement of wiring under ground and installation of new street lamps on the first block of East Main Street had been delayed indefinitely. He said the general contractor, Sam Sasser of Fremont, was seeking a lower price for concrete. The work was part of the $432,000 Town Hall renovation project.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sam Pierce, a former town alderman, asked the board to meter sewer lines so that the town would not be charged for more than what it sends to the Goldsboro sewer treatment plant. He said the town may be paying for rainwater that infiltrates the system. He was told that the town had installed some sewer meters.
Public Works Director Tim Howell had written in his monthly report that the flow to Goldsboro had gone down for the last two months.
Several residents complained about litter and even a snake in ditches and streets. One also asked about a town curfew. Police Chief Ben Reid said a curfew exists for those under 18 -- 10 p.m. on weeknights and 10:30 p.m. on weekends.