Bonifay approves master list of capital improvements, swears in Urquhart

The City of Bonifay on Monday prioritized its list of scheduled capital improvements when the board met in regular session.

Engineer Elissa Pettis presented the council with the list of projects – some of which are already underway – that council members had previously ranked in order of priority. The list includes roadway improvements for Weeks Street and Scenic Hill Circle, as well as drainage improvements on Clifford Street, Highway 79 and Judah Avenue and major lift station/wastewater rehabilitation projects. Other infrastructure projects include making improvements to weather at City Hall and to downtown sidewalks, as well as at Memorial Park, and rehabilitation for commercial downtown parking.

The council also voted unanimously to make the intersection at Oklahoma Street and Virginia Avenue a four-way stop after at the request of First United Methodist Church. Lesley Hatfield spoke on behalf of the church, addressing the council with safety concerns relating to parishioners parking in front of the church on Oklahoma Street, which she says hinders the line of sight to those on Virginia Avenue. The council voted to grant the request.

The council also addressed safety concerns from another church regarding parking, this time at First Baptist Church Bonifay. Members of the church have expressed concerns about not having a clear view of oncoming traffic when exiting the rear of the church due to the parked cars. As a result, the council approved changing the parking from the east side of the street to the west side on the 300 block of Etheridge Street.

In other business, the council approved the purchase of a Chevrolet Colorado truck in the amount of $26,371 for the wastewater treatment plant. The purchase will be made with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and replace a 25-year-old truck the department says has more than 400,000 miles on it. 

Finally, Councilman Robert Urquhart was sworn in for a second term following his March re-election.

The Bonifay City Council will meet again in regular session at 6 p.m., Monday, April 25.