On Tuesday, water flowed down Broad Street in Climax, making a little stream onto Main Street as the scale of work on the Climax water project increased.

Maintenance man Greg Toole checked out the progress as the 100-year-old pipe on Broad Street was being replaced by the new larger pipe. While it is important to replace the old pipe, Mayor Charles Hadsock stated at the regular Climax City Council meeting on Monday night that the old poly-blue pipe was the most dangerous and the most in need of replacing as it broke so easily.

Marlene Free, from the planning committee of the Rivers Alive Clean-Up, spoke to the council about not only being concerned for the waterways, such as Spring Creek and the Flint River, but to organize a committee for their community and encourage participation of volunteers in the community for cleanup. She explained that the committee provided everything needed for the cleanup as far as bags and water, first aid kits, and more.

Free said last year there were more than 200 volunteers in the county cleanup, and they picked up six tons of trash — the most trash picked up in any county in the state of Georgia, thereby receiving an award for their efforts.

Shamyra Little and Wendy Broadnay requested permission from the council to open an extension care facility for the elderly in the city on Helen Lane. Hadsock stated that the city could not issue any licenses for this type of establishment until it has been approved by the Department of Community Health and/or the Secretary of State, meeting all requirements Georgia Code 111-8-62.

Councilwoman Vanessa Martin gave each council member a draft of what she had developed for the employee handbook, including job descriptions. The council is to look over this draft and recommend or improve any parts before final approval.

Police department update

The city received a safety grant for the purchase of a video and audio system for the police car.

The council also approved for police officer John Presilla to be able to take the police car home, for one year. This policy will be revisited and re-examined each year.

School zones

School zone signs for Attapulgus-Climax Road and Salem Church Road were approved, due to not being able to see the sign on West Broad Street when approaching the area, and turning on Broad Street. The flashing lights are enforced in the school zone from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and 2:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. Speeding fines are doubled in school zones when lights are flashing.

Street lights

Presently, the City of Climax is paying approximately $36,000 per year for electricity, according to the council.

Hadsock said economic conditions and other revenue losses compels the the city to take action to reduce this high operating expense. He said presently 23 street lights have been marked for removal and/or deactivation. Ninety percent of these streetlights are in areas of low population densities. The council agreed to cutting these lights until futher notice.