By Annika Doberenz
Although they also discussed other less serious matters, sinkholes were the primary topic of consideration at the Fountain City Council meeting held on July 10. More specifically, the sinkhole that has opened up in the back yard of Dave Stockton.
Stockton has had issues with this particular sinkhole in the past, and has filled it in on those occasions with no issues, but with all of the rain that the area has received this spring, it is deeper this year than it has ever been before. While that would ordinarily just mean that more dirt was needed to fill it in, the current depth of the hole revealed an unexpected development: a pipeline that runs through his property.
Not wanting to be held liable for any possible damage to the line, Stockton brought his concerns before the council, only to discover that there is no line marked as running through his yard on any of the current maps. The council has hypothesized that it may be an old line that is no longer functional. As for where the line leads and where it originates, no one has any idea. However, the discussion did bring up the topic of sinkholes as a citywide issue. They have historically posed a serious problem all throughout the area, and must be filled in with greater frequency than one would expect. Several other specific sinkholes were brought up in the course of the conversation, including the one in the park, which was filled several years ago and again this spring.
Although there does not seem to be a permanent solution to the sinkhole problem, the council is taking every precaution with the one on Stockton’s property, and will be doing their utmost to avoid damaging the pipeline that runs beneath it, regardless of whether it is in use or not.
Another of the topics of discussion at the meeting was that of setting up a mobile text alert SMS messaging platform to be used in times of emergency. Currently, there is no way to quickly and concisely communicate with everyone in town, and while Fountain does have a Facebook page, there is a minimal number of people who check it regularly. Of course, that makes it rather useless in cases of emergency, so the Council discussed and approved setting up a messaging system.
Anyone who wants to be alerted can sign up, and whenever necessary, the council will be able to quickly and easily send out one message to everyone on the list. In this way, the people will be informed and in the long run will be safer in emergencies, and the Council will not be forced to rely on the four people who use Facebook to get the word out through the grapevine.
As an impressive record, the Fountain Study Club will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. Study clubs are typically founded by people with similar interests, in an effort to increase knowledge while also engaging socially. Mayor Tammy Danielson noted that the study club is the longest-lasting organization in the city, with the only other possibility being the fire department, so the fact that it has been around for almost a century is rather momentous.
The possibility of hosting a food and craft market at some point next summer was also discussed at the meeting. Plans have not been finalized, by any means, but it would provide an opportunity for local vendors and crafters to sell their creations and promote small businesses, while also drawing more traffic and trade to the town, which in the long run, will benefit the entire city.
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