CITY COUNCIL MEETING WRAP UP
Newcastle City Council members increased their contribution to the Newcastle Senior Citizen Center. They purchased three new heavy duty trucks, and they approved an application for some new storm sirens.
The City Council approved a larger donation to the Senior Citizens from $3,000 to $4,000 after receiving a letter saying grocery costs have increased.
“That is along the lines of the amount they receive from McClain County,” said Mayor Karl Nail. “They do a great job and are solely dependent on funds from the county, from the city and from the fundraisers they do.”
Nail and other council members raved about the lunches provided at the center.
“If you don’t eat there, go by and have lunch,” Nail said. “They love for people to come in.”
He added, and Council member Mike Fullerton agreed, “Fried chicken is a good day to go down there.”
In other business, City Council approved the purchase of three 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Double Cab 3/4-ton fourwheel drive trucks on State Contract for $52,884 each. These will be used in the water, wastewater and street departments.
City Manager Kevin Self said, “All three departments had a truck budgeted in for them in their budget this year.”
Council members said it is good to have city staff in safe, dependable vehicles. Nail said there was a time when they were driving vehicles that they simply hoped would make it through the work day.
••• A grant application was approved by the Council for expansion of the City’s tornado siren system. Self said the emergency management director has been working with state officials on this for awhile, and he is confident the grant will be approved.
If the City gets the okay, $87,000 will be paid up front, and then they would receive 75% reimbursement of those funds from the grant.
Self said nothing would be done until the City knows positively it will receive the grant funds.
“This would allow us to put three more sirens in,” Self said.
He added that the director also put money in the grant for a study which would determine the best place in the City to locate the new sirens.
