SALYERSVILLE – The Salyersville City Council met in special session on Monday, March 2, discussing the Mountain Parkway Beautification Project.
The council agreed to the first reading of an amendment to the 2025/2026 budget to include $2.066 million in state and federal funds for the sewer projects.
Bell Engineering presented updates on the Mountain Parkway Beautification Project to the council, showing the final design plans for the project, which they have been working on for 4 ½ years. Bell Engineering confirmed they are ready to bid out the project, which he walked the council through how it would have to be bid out, including bidding it as a whole project and then as individual pieces so they will have more flexibility to get different parts of the project to start quicker. They said it has to be advertised locally, plans will be available for viewing by contractors at City Hall and with Big Sandy Area Development District, as well as in a printed form from Lynn Imaging for a fee.
The project will include (but not limited to) Eastern Redbuds, Cloud 9 Dogwoods, Cherokee Chief Dogwoods, Green Gable Tupelos, American Yellowwood, Carolina Silverbell, native grasses, daylilies, Russian Sage, etc.
The Department of Highways has already approved the designs after some changes were made at their request, considering the sightline areas at intersections to avoid traffic problems, as well as removing any plants from ditch lines that may need to be serviced at some point. They also considered deciduous trees and how leaves may fall into the roadway in the fall.
The Mountain Parkway Beautification Project is funded by a $1.29 million federal grant awarded over four years ago. The bid package will be advertised next week, with planting and construction anticipated to begin in May. Being a federal grant for landscaping and signage, that is all the money can be used for.
The council entered into executive session to discuss personnel, but no decisions were made in executive session, and the meeting adjourned immediately after the council left executive session.
The next regularly scheduled Salyersville City Council meeting is tentatively slated for Monday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Salyersville City Hall.
UPDATE: On Tuesday afternoon, Mortimer Media Group was able to confirm that the City of Salyersville has now received the 2023 audit. The City has 10 days from that day to release the audit to the Department of Local Government, and it is expected to put the City in compliance, which will make the grants already allocated for sewer repair and infrastructure available to the City. That includes the above-mentioned $2.066 million in federal and state grants the council agreed in Monday’s meeting to amend into the current fiscal year’s working budget.
The SI will continue to cover this issue as it progresses.
