Resident questions the lack of code enforcement
The Town of Kingston held their monthly meeting on July 9 and addressed multiple agenda items. Resident Tammy Chasse approached the podium and asked the council about brush pickup in the residential area.
“I’ve seen posts about brush pickup,” Chasse said. “Madill does it, why hasn’t Kingston done it?
Vice Mayor Lillie Parrish, who is also over the town’s water and sewer, said it is an issue they have been trying to handle. “I believe moving the brush is the property owner or tenant’s responsibility. We have been trying to deal with it, letters have been sent out.”
Mayor Robbie Kendrick said he liked the idea, but the town lacks the manpower and resources to complete the task.
Chasse voiced her frustration over the matter and how she feels as if the matter is not gaining any traction. “Previous council members have discussed giving tickets in the past, but there has been no progress.”
Parrish informed Chasse that even though it seems nothing is being done, they are trying. “It’s a slow process because there are so many.”
Chasse then questioned if the violator will get fined if they do not heed the warning ticket, to which the council affirmed that tickets will be given out to perpetrators. Chasse asked if the council set the rate for the ticket. City Clerk Darla Garrison apprized everybody in the room that it is the judge who sets the rate.
Chasse wrapped up her time at the podium by asking if the council had a time frame for when a chunk of the progress could be seen. Kendrick replied, “I think a three-month period is a reasonable time frame. Give them ninety days after the warning, then a ticket.”
Once Chasse was satisfied with the response from the council, the members heard from another resident. Lloyd Eppler owns a small trailer park in the 500 block of South Kemp Road and approached the council to ask for assistance.
“Can I get some help fixing the road,” Eppler asked the council. “I bought the property 19 years ago, and I, along with the city, has regraveled the road multiple times.” Eppler said the gravel on the road gets washed away every time it rains.
Council member Lorene Runyan said the city could help, but Eppler would have to do a few things first. To be able to lay a road that will not wash away, each driveway on the road would each need a tinhorn – an Oklahoma slang term for a culvert. Then, the city would have to come in and build drainage on both sides of the road. The downfall is the tinhorns are the responsibility of the land owner.
According to Runyan, once the tinhorns and drainage ditches are installed, the road still needs work before the city can lay asphalt. “The dirt is gravel based and packed down pretty tight, but there are still chuckholes that need to be fixed.”