The Pinehurst City Council approved Tuesday a revision to the city’s ordinance allowing temporary housing on residential property. Because of the flooding from Harvey many homes in Pinehurst are being rebuilt. Citizens wanting to live on their properties while the work is being done on their houses need the option of alternative temporary housing.
Code Enforcement Officer Harry Vine recommended the ordinance allowing temporary structures on residential property be modified. Citizens would be given 12 months from the date Harvey hit to place manufactured homes, RVs, or FEMA trailers on their properties while work is being done to restore their homes. Citizens could receive a six-month extension if they are making progress to get back into their permanent residence. The City Council approved Vine’s recommendation for the ordinance.
City Administrator Robbie Hood told the council that about 98 percent of the debris from Harvey has been removed in the city. There is still some hazardous material debris that Pinehurst is working with the county to get taken away hopefully by the first of the year. Hood said it has taken a team effort to get the job done in Pinehurst, and he is proud of what the city’s employees have done to this point.
Pinehurst is in the final phase of the 60-day period to input damaged facilities into the system in order to be reimbursed by FEMA. Hood believes there are a couple more items that need to be logged into the portal including electrical bids for the city’s sewer lift stations for it to be eligible for reimbursement.
The council also approved Shon Branham as Fire Chief and Kevin Williamson as the Assistant Fire Chief after their election by members of the Pinehurst Volunteer Fire Department earlier. Branham and Williamson will be sworn in at the next City Council meeting in January.
A 90-day moratorium on issuing alcohol permits in Pinehurst was approved. The city wants the three months to study the current Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance to make sure Pinehurst is complying with state law.
The City Council approved an ordinance authorizing Pinehurst participating with other municipalities in a coalition concerning Entergy Texas, Inc matters brought to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. This is an annual agreement and will cover the year 2018.
The City of Pinehurst could get a new garbage collector next year. At the conclusion of Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, two of the council members T. W. Permenter and Dan Mohon complained about the service being provided by Republic Trash Service in Pinehurst.
Hood indicated these are not the first complaints he has heard about Republic. He will be notifying Republic of the city’s intention to go out for bids when the contract expires on September 30, 2018.
Pinehurst has the option to extend the contract for an additional year at a time for up to three years. Because of the complaints he has been hearing concerning the garbage collection in the city, Hood plans to instead solicit bids. “I’m the type of person that tries to clean it up before its contract time, and that’s what I’m in the middle of trying to do,” Hood concluded.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
Social Media