The Odessa Record -

Mayor pro tem Landon Lobe led Monday evening’s meeting of the Odessa Town Council with only three members present, Lobe and council members Marlene Kramer and Kelly Watkins.

Kaylene James addressed the council concerning assistance with setting up the Youth Garden during Fest this year. Items such as the air hockey, foosball and pool tables, plus a basketball game, are stored in various places, including the community center and the public works shop. She requested help retrieving the items within the next couple of weeks and storing them temporarily in the Old Town Hall where they can be cleaned, inspected and repaired if necessary. Where to store the items after Fest was a question left up to a future meeting. It was agreed that the public works crew would help retrieve the items and move them to the Old Town Hall.

The issue of the RV dump station at the cemetery is proving to be a thorny dilemma for all concerned. Ownership of the site cannot be established without a survey that will cost the town in the neighborhood of $2,000. As a stop-gap solution, public works director Rod Webster offered to speak to Gerald Greenwalt of his crew about the feasibility of cleaning out the station using the Vactor truck, so that it could be used one last time for this year’s Fest. After that, council members agreed, a more permanent solution could be pursued.

Fire hazards and noxious weeds on various properties throughout the town will soon be dealt with by the town crew unless property owners do so in the meantime. The crew will mow down and spray noxious weeds and gather up dry brush, grass and weeds and then bill each homeowner for the effort spent to do so. Unpaid bills will result in liens placed on the properties. Letters were sent earlier to all homeowners who were not in compliance.

Fire chief Don Strebeck reported that the volunteer firefighters have been called out several times in recent weeks. Because there has been very little wind, most of those blazes were put out rather quickly. The fire crew was also called out as a result of an auto accident that destroyed the front porch of a residence in town.

Police chief Tom Clark followed up on that story by saying that the driver of the vehicle was delivered to the Lincoln County jail and has been charged with driving under the influence. Clark also said that the automated external defibrillator ordered for the pool has been installed there. Once the pool closes for the season (this coming Sunday), it will be moved to Finney Field to be used there in the event of emergencies at community events and school team practices scheduled there.

In his public works report, Webster said concrete was poured in an area of the community center where a new freezer was to be installed. He also reported purchasing 21 detour signs, 17 large cones and several light-weight barricade panels to use during the Deutschesfest parade and any other such events as needed. The purchase was paid for by the Odessa Chamber of Commerce.

Immediate future plans for the public works crew include disking down the property that will become the cemetery expansion area, dealing with two residences where complaints of low water pressure have been received, finding the water shutoff to the hospital prior to any street work in the vicinity and fixing the water leak beneath First Avenue at the Division St. intersection.