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VALLEY — The City of Valley has awarded a contract to resurface seven city streets this year. Low bidder Chris Clark Grading & Paving, of Lanett, will be doing the work at a cost of $816,956.50.

Chris Clark’s bid was substantially lower than that of one other competitive bid.

After the council unanimously approved the action, Mayor Leonard Riley noted that the new contract is one of three that have been awarded to Clark but that he hasn’t finished the work on the first two.

“We expect him to start catching up,” he said. “This new one will be ending in November.”

Council Member Kendall Andrews asked the mayor about the status of finishing work on Columbus Road in the River View community. Riley said the big problem was the weather. Lots of work days have been missed recently either because it’s been too cold or rainy to do paving work. Two coats, Permaflex and the wearing surface, are applied in these paving projects.

“The temperature has to be at least 55 degrees, and it can’t be raining,” Riley said.

Portions of Columbus Road and 29th Boulevard in Shawmut remain from last year and will be finished when the weather cooperates.

The three major projects for 2021 include the resurfacing of Towel Avenue near the new John Soules Foods plant, King Road and the portion of MLK Drive between River Road and Evergreen Avenue. TheTowel Avenue work will cost just under $200,000 and the paving on King and MLK will each cost over $150,000. A project on 60th Place and 61st Street will cost just under $115,000. Projects costing under $100,000 include Morgan Street, River Oaks and Riverwood Drive.

Weldon said three new SUVs that have been purchased for the Valley Police Department will arrive soon.

“They are on the way,” he said. “They should be here by March 10.”

Valley Parks & Recreation Director Laurie Blount said that things are about to get very busy at Valley Sportsplex, where a number of baseball and softball tournaments will be taking place. Up to 25 teams will be taking part in a baseball tournament this weekend, and a senior softball tournament will be taking place the weekend of March 11-14.

Valley has four youth teams that will be participating in the district basketball tournament in Sylacauga. Three boys teams and a girls team will be representing Valley.

Blount is expecting a very busy spring season with youth baseball, softball and track taking place,

The council approved a six-item consent agenda. This included a capital expenditures amendment in the amount of $10,512.09 for the police department to cover the cost of vehicles, an expenditure of $22,055.33 for a project to install new lighting on I-85 at Exit 77, the sale of two surplus Crown Vics (they were both purchased by high bidder George Sessums for $823 and $622 respectively), an expenditure of $36,000 for servers and sound system equipment for the council chamber, and the sale of surplus equipment from the Public Works Department. Jeremy Earl was the high bidder for a 1993 F700 box dump truck. He offered $1,599. George Sessums was the high bidder on three of the surplus vehicles, a 1993 flatbed dump truck ($2,522), a 2005 F150 maroon pickup truck ($2,507) and a 2004 F150 white pickup truck ($2,003).