Council receives positive news on railroad crossing
Champion EMS, which will soon be relocating from its current location shared with the Wills Point Fire Department on S. 4th St. to a location along Highway 80, made a surprise presentation of a plaque to be hung at the new Wills Point EMS Station #1 during public comment Dec. 8. Those present for the unveiling of the plaque included Champion EMS Chief Executive Officer Stan Holden, councilmembers Mike Jones, Wade Emerson, Lance LyBrand, Mayor Mark Turner, and councilmembers Oscar Rogers and Kyle Anderson.
After more than three years of pushing and prodding by council members, the city of Wills Point may finally be seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel to replace the Ash Street railroad crossing.
The crossing, located in the eastern part of Wills Point, was damaged and taken out of service by Union Pacific following an accident involving a tanker-trailer hauling fuel and train back on Aug. 23, 2012.
Since that time, UP and city leaders have negotiated back and forth numerous times in an effort to find common ground on the reinstallation of the crossing only to have the railroad give tentative timelines for work on the project, and then push those back time and time again.
Wills Point had recently been placed into a holding pattern by UP regarding the city’s portion of work that needs to be done in order for the crossing to be reinstalled pending approval of certain paperwork and plans.
During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, council members were advised that the city had received word from Freese and Nichols (the firm hired by the city to oversee Wills Point’s portion of the work), that UP had signed off on plans that will finally get crossing reinstallation work into motion, and that work to repair the roadway in the area should begin as early as next week and completed no later than March 2016.
Work by UP for the crossing itself can then commence following the completed work on the roadway.
In other business:
•Champion EMS, represented by Chief Executive Officer Stan Holden, surprised the Wills Point City Council during public comment by presenting a plaque to city leaders that will be placed at the new Wills Point EMS Station #1.
•Council members were introduced to the city’s new water superintendent, Ryan Glosson.
•The council approved a contracts in regards to the community development block grant received by the city for what is being called the “Sparks Sewer Project.”
•The council approved revised job descriptions for the positions of detention officer and EDC administrative assistant.
•The council approved a revision of fees regarding building permits and inspections.
