The first agenda item at the Clarion City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 3 was to approve a resolution appointing a new council member. Jim Williams resigned from his position last meeting. The council approved Larry Harrah to serve the rest of Williams’ term, until the end of this year. City Administrator Clint Middleton noted that Harrah was the only person to submit an application after a notice for the position was previously published in the paper.
Middleton talked about the possibility of working with the county to generate new funding sources for city projects, particularly childcare in Clarion. He will give more information on this in future meetings. After participating on the childcare committee that has been meeting over the last several months, Middleton noted that childcare efforts in Clarion likely need a boost from entities like the city, county and businesses to progress.
In other council business, the group approved a pay request for the well project for $7,856. They also approved moving forward with USDA documents to secure a loan for the water treatment facility. Middleton noted that this is still a very early step in that process. The council approved a resolution accepting an AARP grant to be used for a pocket park on Central Ave. (See the story on page 12 for more info on this project).
In his individual report, Public Works Director Jon DeVries noted that the water treatment plant is on schedule for bid-letting by next February to April 2022 with construction beginning midsummer 2022 and completion the following summer. This timeline is subject to change based on the USDA loan being sought for the project.
