At the end of the Prescott City Council February meeting last night, City Clerk and Recorder Robert Loe announced that he was resigning his position and had a heartfelt message for the Council. Loe said he’s had the honor and privilege of serving Prescott for nearly twenty years as a fireman, City Council member, and City Clerk and Recorder, and that with a heavy heart he was submitting his resignation, effective March 31st. “I have the utmost respect for Mayor Oliver, all members of this council, and all of the elected officials who serve our community in an effort to make life better for the citizens of Prescott and Nevada County,” Loe said. He gave thanks to mayor Oliver, the City Council, and others, then ended his announcement by saying, “I hope the greatest things for our community in the years to come, and I have confidence that we have the right people elected to make that happen.” Loe explained he needed to move out of town for family reasons, but that he would still be around town for his day job and to participate in the community. He said, “Prescott is home, and always will be home.” Members of the Council and other participants of the meeting expressed their support and appreciation for Loe by standing with applause and complimenting him on his service and dedication to the city over the years.
During Chamber Director Jamie Hillery’s report, she informed council members that the Chamber Banquet has been rescheduled for April 7th at the high school cafeteria, and the Annual Crawfish Boil is scheduled for April, as well. This is the eighth year for the Crawfish Boil, she said, and it has grown ever year. Hillery also shared with the council that community events are picking back up and that there will be a Community Coffee every week next month.
During Police Chief Ann Jordan’s monthly report, she shared with council members the success of the Cake with Cops pancake breakfast. This was the department’s first time hosting this event, and she said the turnout was so great that they plan to hold one every year. Jordan had several officers with her in attendance, whom she introduced to the council, and then she extended an invitation for council members to come to the department for a walk-through tour.
Director of Economic Development Mary Godwin presented the 2022 downtown mowing bids during her monthly report. She shared that Mary Colbert turned in the only bid for $325. The board voted on and approved the bid. Godwin also presented an update on the project for cleaning up yards and condemned houses around the city. She told council members the property on Webb Street, which had been donated to the city previously, had an additional small piece of land to go with it near the overpass. She asked if they wanted to accept this donation, as well, and the council approved the additional donation. Godwin also shared the new zoning information with council members for them to look over the next two months so they could take notes and ask questions before moving forward.
Godwin also presented council members with a request from No Way Pulpwood to lease more land from the city. A few months ago, the council approved their $1500-a-month lease, and now No Way is requesting to lease more land, bringing the total amount up to $3000 a month. No Way wants to store more logs, as well as bring in a chipping machine from a Louisiana company to chip the logs here. City Attorney Glenn Vasser told the council that they would be requiring insurance, workers comp, and plenty more protective measures for the city, as well as the choice to terminate the lease if a buyer for the property became available. The council voted on and approved the new lease agreement with No Way Pulpwood..
In other business, the council was presented an agreement with nFront Consulting to help with reviewing and analyzing the towering February 2021 bill from SWEPCO. Vasser said the city has used this firm before and that they could provide helpful information about engineering and also assist in analyzing financial and operational issues. He said their input could be valuable as the city moves forward in determining what to do with this issue. Larry Jones, Electric Operations Manager for Prescott, agreed by saying they received a good result when they used this company’s services before. During discussion, Council Member Ivory Curry said, “I think we need all the help we can get; we are fighting for our citizens.” The council voted on and approved the agreement with nFront Consulting.
