SOUTH FORK— South Fork Town Board members opened their monthly meeting on July 25 to discuss a myriad of issues. The meeting was run by Mayor Pro-Tem Don Spencer, as Mayor Rodney Reed had asked for the night off for personal reasons. Spencer called the meeting to order and asked that everyone in attendance stand for the pledge and an invocation prior to diving into business. After approving the agenda, Spencer turned the floor over to Town Manager Tom Acre.
Acre opened with the treasurer’s report stating that he wanted to first point out that the graph provided in the monthly packet is beginning to show a steady increase in revenue for the town. Acre continued to state that the numbers would begin to come in for July and that the trend the board was beginning to see will continue as numbers are added to the system. Acre stated that revenue was up by 50 percent for the month of June and 14 percent for the year.
Trustee Vicky Phillips spoke up, saying she feels the town is moving forward and the results of their progress as a board over the last three years can be seen in the full parking lots, RV parks and businesses. She continued, stating there have been homes sold in the area and there has been an increase in the amount of people coming through town. “If we want to gauge whether or not things are busy this year, all we have to do is look at the Rainbow parking lot,” finished Phillips.
Board members voted to approve the treasurer’s report and moved on to staff reports, Acre briefed the board on the status of their public works department, stating that though the department has been shorthanded, the two employees are back in full swing and getting the town in shape after their absence. Acre passed on that Public Works Manager Nate Goldsberry wanted to thank the board for their understanding while he dealt with being shorthanded.
The community center has been a main project this year as Goldsberry and his team have worked continuously to improve the building both inside and out. The building recently underwent a fresh coat of paint and new siding which has made the building look almost brand new. The next step will be to install new windows which are being priced and ordered by Acre.
Next on the agenda, Acre spoke to the board about a growing prairie dog issue throughout town. Numbers of the troublesome pests have doubled in recent weeks and the issue is becoming a larger problem than it has been in the past. Acre stated that Goldsberry had tried one method of ridding the town of the rodents, but the method came up short.
Board members continued the conversation, giving suggestions for Acre to look into before agreeing with the town manager that it was time to bring in professional help. Acre stated both Monte Vista and Del Norte had used someone who came from out of town to help deal with their rodent problems and that he would call to find out prices and how soon the company could be there. The topic was closed as board members voted for Acre to pursue a remedy to the situation as long as it remained prudent and cost-effective for the town.