Public works approves paving money

CLOVIS — The Clovis Public Works Committee on Wednesday approved the department’s recommendations for $700,000 in residential street paving for this year’s budget.

Public Works Director Clint Bunch and Mayor Pro Tem Chris Bryant told The News the department identified the following streets in most need of repaving:

• Lakeview from Fairway Terrace North to Colonial Parkway

• Fifth Street, between Prince and Axtell

• Beta Street between Seventh and Debra

• Lore Street from Mañana Boulevard to Echols.

Bunch also referenced a “problem area” intersection of North Norris Street and N.M. 77.

The city plans to make the above improvements, Bunch told The News. Other improvements will have to wait for further consideration.

In other business at the meeting:

• City Manager Justin Howalt said the city gets “a lot of flooding west of Cameo (Street).” A drainage project for the area of flooding on Cameo Street and Purdue Avenue would cost about $900,000. Howalt said the first step would be to hire someone to do the design.

• The committee approved up to $5,500 for the construction of drainage at Ned Houk Park. The project, the cost of which would be shared with Curry County, would channel water back into the aquifer.

• The committee listened to a presentation by Zach Whitten, a project engineer with Phoenix-based consultants Stantec.

“Just because there is water in your yard does not mean the area should be in a floodplain,” Whitten said. He showed the committee how computer modeling can provide detailed information about flooding. The modeling program reduced the city’s acreage in the floodplain by half an acre of land, he said. “The next step is to submit (the computer modeling) to FEMA so they can go through a review period.”

The next meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 22 at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library.