Published: May 15, 2009 03:38 pm      

Konawa council discusses roof leaks, cemetery platting

Konawa — The building at 118 E. First Street in Konawa, also known as the Jobri Sewing Center, will be getting a new roof soon, Konawa City Council decided Thursday evening.

City Manager Rita LoPresto told council the cost would be $52,000 to replace the 100 foot by 200 foot roof.

“I do have that as a solid estimate,” LoPresto said.

“Does it leak?” a Konawa resident in attendance asked.

“Like a sift,” LoPresto said.

“We’re almost between a rock and a hard place,” Mayor Bob Rounsaville said. “We’re going to lose the only factory in town if we don’t fix it.” LoPresto said the city of Konawa is under a lease contract until the year 2014.

Council approved the measure to repair the roof and pledged the REAP Grant funds to go toward the cost once the funds were received.

In other business, LoPresto said the cemetery needs to be re-platted to have plots east and west, not north and south.

LoPresto said she did not know about plots traditionally being east and west when the cemetery was originally platted.

Council Member LaDonna Bryce asked why it mattered.

“It’s an unwritten law to be buried east to west, not north to south,” Council Member LaTrelle Ellis said.

The surveyor will return to the area to re-plat the area.

Council voted to update city ordinances pertaining to planning and zoning.

LoPresto said according to ordinances, it was set up to have a planning and zoning committee meet twice a month to discuss planning and zoning issues.

In the two years LoPresto has been city manager, she said the committee was only utilized once.

“We don’t use it and we don’t have anyone assigned to it,” LoPresto said. Under the new ordinances, city council will be able to address planning and zoning issues.

The new ordinances also re-zones downtown Konawa. LoPresto said the ordinances will prevent residences from being established on first floors of business buildings.

The area affected must be in compliance by June 1, 2011, LoPresto said.

In city manager reports, LoPresto told council a special city council meeting would be called to address nuisances, such as tall grass, dilapidated buildings and other municipal code violations. She said around 50 residences were on the list.

“To me, it is so sad to drive around town and see things the way they are when they don’t have to be that way,” Ellis said.

LoPresto told council the sinkhole between First Street, Second Street, West Street and Konawa Street was still there, but it’s still too wet to fix it and she wants to make sure the pipes in the area are still intact.