Eldorado city crews say they are ready for Halloween
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Eldorado street and police officials report they are ready for the community's Halloween activities on Saturday night, which will again feature operation of a trunk-or-treat on Locust Street, which will cause the closing of several cross streets at Locust and a large portion of Locust.
Public Safety Commissioner Bob Briddick and Police Chief Shannon Deuel asked the public's cooperation, encouraging motorists to be alert and aware kids will be on the streets of the community from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
"There will be a lot of kids out, and their parents, too," Briddick said.
Mayor Rocky James spoke in praise of the downtown activities of Halloween. "Trunk-or-treat works out great," he said.
Street and Alley Superintendent J.B. James said his department has barricades at corners, ready for placement late Saturday afternoon.
Prior to the trick-or-treat hours and the Locust Street trunk-or-treat, the Eldorado Woman's Club will hold the annual Halloween Costume Contest at 5:30 p.m. in front of the stage at the five-way in downtown Eldorado.
The club, noted for it's service to the community's kids, will award prizes for the prettiest, ugliest and most original in several age-group categories. Treats will be donated by the American Legion Auxiliary.
Fire Chief Mike McKinnies told council the fire station again this year will be open and firefighters will be handing out treats.
McKinnies said firefighters recently donated, with cash from their own pockets, bicycles that were awarded at the elementary school in a fire prevention contest.
They held back a couple of bicycles and they will be given away to trick-or-treaters.
During the meeting:
- Ordinance officer Billy Bradley urged residents to mow lawns one more time before winter. He told council a couple of tickets recently were written and warned residents, "If your yard is messed up with junk, we are going to write tickets."
- Street and Alley Superintendent J. B. James said his department has driven all streets of the community to record all street signs that have been vandalized.
The damage is substantial and the fix will be costly.
Even after money is expended to repair street signs, he said, based on past experience, about two signs a week will be vandalized.
- Citizen Burlie Griffin returned to council to ask what has happened to his request for extra speed patrols in the areas of the schools.
Both Briddick and Deuel said the patrols have been stepped up.
"It doesn't seem to make any difference," Griffin said. "They just keep on flying through."
- Charlotte Brown told council Eldorado Main Street currently is "regrouping" and said Main Street will be more aggressive in helping get the community cleaned up.
She told council, when the city has a cleanup day, Main Street will "take that a step above" by working to organize groups within communities within the city for neighborhood cleanup campaigns.
She said the group continues to promote Eldorado.
"We really want to help keep these businesses going in the downtown and in the area," she said.
Brown had a financial request of the city.
She asked commissioners to consider financially supporting repair of downspouts on the old city hall once contractors are found who will work on the building.
- Council gave its OK to an amendment of animal ordinance that bans raising of various animals within the city. The amendment grants exceptions, with council permission, to 4-H and FFA projects. The projects must be registered with the city clerk.
- An area near state Route 142 defined as the "Ellis and Cook lands" were annexed to the city. The annexation involves land contiguous to the city; the survey starts at the intersection of the south line of state Route 142 and the west right of way line of the old L&N railroad.