The Pinehurst Police have a new contract. The City Council in Pinehurst approved the contract with the Pinehurst Police Officers’ Association at its meeting Tuesday. City Administrator Robbie Hood indicated the only change is a two percent pay increase for the officers which all the city employees received and some administrative changes. The contract will be for 2018-2019.
The Pinehurst Volunteer Fire Department elected its officers for the next year and the City Council approved the election results. Shon Branham will continue to be the fire chief and Sam Johnson will be the assistant fire chief. The two will be given their oaths of office at the council’s January meeting.
The City Council approved extending the city’s Re-investment Zone from MacArthur Drive to include Strickland Drive to the parking lot of the former Baptist Hospital. The Re-Investment Zone will be an important step for economic development in Pinehurst according to Hood. The former Conn’s store location in the shopping center on Strickland has a potential purchaser to buy the property and open a business there.
The moratorium on alcoholic beverages permitting will be extended to February. Pinehurst is wanting to update its alcoholic beverage ordinance, but details of records concerning the past ordinance have been difficult to track down. The revised ordinance will hopefully be ready for the council’s approval by its February 12 meeting.
The municipal park on Park Avenue currently known as West Park will have a name change. Alderman Dan Mohon explained that Lewis Sims who donated the land for the park to Pinehurst would like to honor his deceased parents by having the park named in their honor. The City Council approved on Tuesday naming the park the Junius P. Sims and Virginia Cooper Sims Memorial Park. Sims said he would pay for the new signage to show the name change of the park.
The City of Pinehurst will be applying for a $275,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Pinehurst held a public hearing Monday to discuss the possible uses for the grant if the city receives the funds.
David Waxman will be the administrator for the grant and provided some of the options. Waxman said that in addition to the normal water and sewer improvements connected to the grant, this year the state is allowing road improvements to correct damage to streets caused by Tropical Storm Harvey.
Pinehurst City Administrator Hood gave his input of where the grant could be used. He mentioned the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has cited Pinehurst for infiltration and inflow problems in its sewer system. Hood believes that should be the priority for the grant funds when received. Schaumburg & Polk was selected by the Pinehurst City Council to handle the engineering work for the grant.
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