City street projects get thumbs-up from council 

By Bonnie Culverhouse

Benton & Brown LLC was the lowest qualified bidder meeting all requirements for upcoming street projects in Minden.

During a special meeting of the Minden City Council Thursday, the local general contractor was agreed on unanimously, with only District D Councilman Michael Roy absent.

Streets and Drainage Manager Terry Combs told council members which streets are on the list.

“We are doing Pine Street at Goodwill beside the Coca-Cola plant to the Minden City limits sign and Methodist Camp Road from Pine Street to the 400 block of Methodist Camp,” Combs said. “We will be doing Country Club Circle from Drake Drive to Homer Road. Lastly, will be Sheppard Street from Spann all the way to Fincher Road.”

Combs said Country Club Circle is the only project that will be a complete rehab.

“It’s going to be cut, soil, cement and lime,” Combs said. “The other ones are just going to be building overlay.”

Beside Walmart to the concrete section of Country Club will be milled two inches and “put back two inches,” he said. “That was found to be in pretty good shape. But from the end of that section to Drake Drive will be a complete rehab.

“It’s going to be time-consuming,” Combs added. “I hope we can do it while school is out. That may or may not materialize.”

Combs said he is considering closing Country Club Circle from Drake Drive to Homer Road to everyone except local traffic.

“It just depends on how quickly the contractor can get to it – if he can get to it while school is out, I will probably do that (closing),” he said. “If he doesn’t, we will just have to work it under traffic.”

All regrind goes back to the street department yard to be used in other projects.

The improvements are a 2021-2022 budgeted item.