Plains council: Old jail repairs to begin soon

Plains Mayor Dan Rowan welcomed in the newly elected council members last week.

The new members are Chris Allen, John Sheridan, Joel Banham and Connie Fous,t with Allen being nominated as council president.

During Rowan’s report, several items of interest were raised. Repairs to the old jail were discussed and approved. A bid for the repairs came in lower than expected at $12,000. With funds for the repairs already raised, construction will begin as soon as possible.

The Parks and Recreation Department is looking for people to serve on a committee to help plan for future needs of the parks in Plains.

A large portion of the council’s time was spent on a resolution to adopt fees for the excavation of town property or right of way. The sewer and water department’s personnel have been spending more of their time inspecting new connections to the existing infrastructure.

Those concerns have increased exponentially now that Blackfoot Communications are planning to start installing fiber optics cable in Plains and the surrounding areas. Construction for the fiber optics cable could start in January, weather permitting.

The schedule for the permit fees have not been finalized and discussion within the council will continue. The resolution would relieve the cost burdens of the additional workload from the taxpayer/ratepayer and place it on a user fee system.