Officials from the Jefferson Street and Sanitation Department proudly unveiled new plans to upgrade services in Jefferson during the upcoming fiscal year. Citizens have voiced complaints recently about the lack of attention devoted to Jefferson's streets. Street lines have become obliterated, and large potholes have formed in areas that were previously acceptable.
An
especially large pothole was recently noticed on North Wilson, after a
car sustained major damage when the driver failed to alter his path
around the damaged roadway. City officials were apparently unaware of
the magnitude of the problem, as the pothole was located on the north
side of town, and appears to be seldom used. "We do have streets that are rarely used, but occasionally somebody from out of town may make a wrong turn and God only knows what they will find," stated an anonymous city employee. He went on to state that usually a resurfacing street job in Jefferson can be expected to last nearly a lifetime without any maintenance whatsoever, due to the extreme lack of traffic. The lack of work has enabled Jefferson to reduce its street crew over the years to 94 employees.
The city has agreed to increase its projected street and sanitation budget by imposing a special registration fee on all cars currently in use that were built before 1998. This would encompass nearly 75% of all vehicles currently registered in Jefferson. People who buy newer, larger vehicles will be exempt from the additional charges, and may actually see their fees reduced slightly.
Other
improvements in the street department will include the addition of three
new street sweepers. The old sweepers are no longer functioning
adequately and money has been set aside for the arrival of the new ones.One new street sweeper has already arrived, and began cleaning streets last Thursday (photo at left).
Repairs of current street problems are slated to begin next spring, as soon as weather permits.
Spencer Straight, 11-12-2008