Hughes Springs mayor welcomes three returning council members

Three incumbent council members ran unopposed in the May 7 election. Council members Genneter Ellison, Lee Newsom and Ryan Watkins were sworn in for another two-year term by Mayor Reba Simpson at the regular meeting of the Hughes Springs City Council on May 17.

In other business, the council voted unanimously to place on next month’s agenda an action item to work with KSA Engineering services on getting bids for the painting and repair of the 200,000-gallon elevated water tower located on FM 161 South. The tank was installed in 1996, and this will be the first major repair to the facility. The entire project is anticipated to take from five to seven months, at a projected cost of $319,000.00. At next month’s meeting, the council will also consider an action item concerning replacement of the pumps at the wastewater treatment facility.

The Council voted unanimously to apply for a grant to install a natural gas-powered generator at the wastewater treatment facility. The generator would insure that the city could maintain wastewater treatment service in the event of a loss of power. It is anticipated that the city’s cost for the generator would be $15,000 (representing approximately 25% of the actual cost of $60,000) plus $3,000 grantwriting and application fee.