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VALLEY — The Valley City Council on Monday held the first reading of a proposed amendment to its zoning ordinance to change the zoning of a 27-acre site off King Road from C-3 (community business district) to R- 3 (medium density residential). Code Enforcement Officer Reid Riley told the council that a developer is interested in building a new subdivision on the site. The site is located near the Burney property, which is owned by the city and is an ideal site for industrial or commercial development.

The council approved an additional cost for the new traffic lights that will be going in at the intersection of Burney Road and Fob James Drive. The original contract for the traffic lights was just under $100,000. The added amount will increase this to just under $120,000. The additional cost will permit the installation of a video detection grid smart system at that intersection. This is a single-camera system that gathers and interprets important traffic data to enable real-time monitoring and visual assessment and to help traffic engineers adjust signal timing and traffic flow strategies.

This kind of camera will not catch speeders or drivers who run red lights.

It will be similar to what’s already on Highway 29 at Exit 79 on I-85.

Valley Parks & Recreation Director Laurie Blount had some good news to report said the Christmas Merry Go Round has arrived. It should be set up by Wednesday and will open to the public on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 26. This has been a Christmas season tradition in Valley every year since 1956. The season always ends at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

This year’s Valleywide Christmas Parade will be taking place on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 7. It will start at 6 p.m. at the Cherry Valley Shopping Center in Lanett, go through downtown West Point and head south along Highway 29 through Lanett and Valley, where it will disband in the parking lot outside Walmart.

Mayor Leonard Riley advised local motorists to be prepared for road work that will be taking place on Highway 29 in the coming months. There will be some work around Johnson’s Curve, and all lanes will be paved from the Osanippa Creek bridge north to near Chambley’s. There will be some single-lane traffic when this is taking place.

Drivers need to be aware of some coming traffic delays at Exit 79. This could start as early as January 2024. Some exit lanes on both sides will be closed to get the work completed, meaning some traffic will be rerouted.

“I just want people to be aware of this before it happens,” Riley said. “There will be more updates on it the closer we get to it starting.”

The council approved a three-item consent agenda. This included the determination of public nuisances and authorizing action to clean them up at two sites in the city and the imposition of a lien on another property.

City hall will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 23rd and Nov. 24 for Thanksgiving. The next council meeting will be taking place at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27. The annual Christmas tree lighting will be taking place immediately after that meeting.