Edna council nixes purchase

By Chris Lundstrom
Publisher/Editor
        The City of Edna will not be relocating their offices any time soon. After considering the purchase of the former First Victoria bank building in executive session, Mayor Joe Hermes announced in open session that council had no interest in offering to purchase the building and would be proceeding to get cost estimates for other solutions.
    Council was considering the purchase of the now vacant bank building to possibly move the city administration offices. The center of the issue is the current police department building that is in bad condition and a city fire truck that doesn’t fit in the station. Moving the city offices would allow the police department to move next to the municipal court and the current police department building to be torn down for space to build a new fire department.
    Shelly Srp, local resident and realtor, spoke on the issue during open session, asking council to consider selling something if they were going to buy something.
    “I am excited about what is going on in Edna,” she said. “I’ve sold at least 24 lots in the Meadows in the past year and there have been three new commercial buildings built in that same time. When you own a business it is all about location. Should the city look at another location, I am asking that you not look at property in the best location, but leave that opportunity for other businesses to purchase. After all, people have to come to city hall no matter where it is located.”
    City Manager Ken Knight explained the problem.
    “The police station is in poor structural shape,” he said. “It is also functionally obsolete and a new fire station needs to be built. The current owners of the First Victoria Bank building will not sell to a competitor and the amenities in that building would provide older citizens the opportunity to do business without leaving their car.
    In other business, council approved more donations for the city’s new flag plaza. The total donations to date are $75,960 which cover the cost of acquiring the property. Hotel/motel funds will be used for the rest of the project which includes an 80 ft. tall flag pole and an 20 x 30-foot American flag reflecting the city’s Flag City nickname. Other options in the plaza include signage and additional flags. An engineer’s rendition of the proposed project can be found on the website www.jacksonconews.com.
    Council also heard from KSA Engineers about the street and drainage projects. Discussion centered around four problem areas in town, including Gayle St. by the high school, N. Kleas St., Cedar, MLK and Washington St., and Hurt/Division/Milam and Ezzell Sts. With the exception of Gayle St., the engineers said drainage would be improved by performing regular maintenance, including cleaning out the drain pipes. They proposed solving the drainage problem by the high school by installing a 680 ft. long diversion ditch to help drain the water away during heavy rains.
    Council also:
    • Canceled the May 10 election for District 3 and District 5. An election will be held for District 4 held by Jean Anne Sorenson and challenged by Tommy Srp.
    • Administered the oath of office to Johnny Vasquez who was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Ray Chavarria.
    • Approved closing MLK Drive for the Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 14 and donated $2,000 to the Juneteenth committee from hotel/motel funds.
    • Approved a contract with Golden Crescent YMCA to manage the city pool.