Daniel Prince
Council member warns about illegal construction in town
At last week’s Jonesville Town Council meeting, council member Preston Bennett asked council members to be aware that illegal construction is going on in the town. He said an inspector called him and said crews are coming in at odd hours and doing construction without permits or a business license.
Ann Queen mentioned she had heard from a church on Forest Street about the parking situation following the paving work that was done. Administrator Michael Tyler said that previously, there were no lines for parking on the street, and those who parked along the street were doing so illegally. He noted that some houses along the street lack driveways and needed to park in the street. He said the road is wide enough for three 12’ lanes, allowing for one parking lane and two driving lanes. By adding the parking lane on the residential side, it gave those people a legal place to park, and the church can use any of those unused spaces when they meet. Tyler said he had to protect the taxpayers and the children on the street, and he was sorry for any inconvenience for the people of the church, but between their lot, empty spaces on the lane across the street, and space on Oak Ridge Drive for parking, as well, he felt the church’s needs could be covered. He said he would be meeting with their deacons later in the week.
In new business, Tyler said they are getting water damage to the auditorium building, with ceiling tiles falling in from leaks in the roof. He said the town received a check for around $57,000 from insurance for a new roof. He said there are two buildings on the municipal complex property that don’t have metal roofs. Tyler recommended getting both roofs replaced with metal roofs, as well as fixing any rotting soffit boards and fascia boards, along with fixing the gutters and the ceilings. He noted a metal roof should be good for around 50 years, and since the buildings belong to the taxpayers, the town needs to do all it can to be good stewards of that investment. Council voted unanimously for Tyler to get quotes to replace the roofs.
They noted the date for Jonesville to be the focus of the county’s spring cleaning initiative will be April 21. The county will put a dumpster in the municipal complex parking lot, and citizens can bring old tires, appliances, and other things to put in it. Volunteers will be needed to help with the cleanup, and they plan to get the word out through Facebook, their sign at the complex, through area churches, and as many other ways as possible. Citing an example of the need for cleanup, a couple of council members noted one property in the town that has around 20 old tires on it.
Council held an executive session for an economic development update before adjourning.