Holly Postponing New Administrator Search

The search for a new Holly Town Administrator is on hold for the summer, scheduled to resume in August. The Holly Trustees decided to resume the search several months from now during their May 1^st board meeting.  There were several points of difference between the Trustees and the candidate, who, according to Holly Mayor, Tony Garcia, didn’t believe he would find the community a proper fit for his needs after final interviews and contract negotiations.

Town Clerk, Megan Jara, told the Trustees that although the town had been awarded a USDA grant to help resolve Holly’s landfill issue, there were matters to be worked out on work duties between the town consultant, Gary Fuselier and an engineer who will be hired to conduct as assessment for the landfill. She said the agreement needs to be reached by June in order to secure grant funding.

The Trustees opened three bids for repair work on the town’s Library deck, but due to a lack of sufficient information on the replacement of the concrete foundation and use of composite materials instead of wood, the Trustees decided to table a decision and ask the contractors to rebid the project. Estimates ranged between $10,000 and $14,000, roughly, for the project.

Holly Librarian, Elaine Anderson, noted there was a drop last month in the number of video and book rentals. Movies, she acknowledged, can be downloaded from almost any source nowadays, which attributed for the decline.  “We are gathering donations for the annual Holly-Hock It Days and those sale items will be used at the Library,” she noted, adding that clothing would not be accepted.  Anderson said the annual Summer Reading Program begins June 14^th with the theme focusing on Exploring the Universe.

The Trustees approved the annual hiring of pool employees for the summer season. Ashlyn Crossland will be pool manager, assistant manager is Taylor Veal and lifeguards include:  Jade Casey, Kallie Cathcart, Jennifer Chaparro, Jayd Davis, Juan Moreno and Trinity Scott.

Trustee Larry Sitts told the board a follow-up community siren warning test was successful compared to one held earlier in which four of the main batteries were without juice. The problem was recognized and rectified.

The Trustees awarded the annual ARPA/Town of Holly Scholarships to two students: Amy Britar and Kallie Cathcart who will receive $500 each for their continuing education.  The Town’s Policy #37 regarding Chemical Safety Policy and Procedures was approved and the Trustees closed the regular meeting by moving into executive session for personnel matters.  The next regular Trustees meeting is set for Wednesday, June 5^th at 7pm.

By Russ Baldwin