Karnes City residents living on the 900 block of East Calvert Avenue were assured their street problems would be taken care of during the town’s regular meeting Oct. 23, but the promise came with a caveat.

Council members and the mayor were responding to a complaint offered by concerned resident Jerry Smith when the statement was made. Smith pointed out problems residents have with dust on the unpaved road, along with several other issues the area faces.

The street isn’t what it used to be since it had been torn up during a sewer upgrade project, Smith said.

"This was a paved street. The goal is to return it to a paved street," Mayor Don Tymrak told Smith.

The problem is that work still needs to be done under the street. City Administrator Larry Pippen told Smith and council members there is a 70-year-old asbestos concrete water line in the area that needs to come out.

Rather than pave the street and have to tear it up again later to remove the pipe, Tymrak said residents in the area will just have to wait.

"The last thing (fixed) will be the streets. If we (pave first), we’re just throwing good money after bad," he said.

Drainage in the area also is a problem, according to Smith, but Pippen said those problems needs to be fixed all at once citywide to avoid playing hot potato with the problem.

As a temporary solution, council members considered spreading crushed limestone over the area and asking the county government to avoid moving heavy equipment through the street.

Council members also discussed the city’s fire department at length in response to a letter of concern submitted by Fire Chief Charlie Malik.

The letter addresses several department concerns over funding and personnel. Council members took time batting around ideas for possible solutions, including an optional donation on city water bills, moving to a fully- or partially-paid daytime department, and training current city utility employees to double as paid firefighters.

Tymrak said a workshop may be held in the future to discuss the issues at greater length and to come up with possible solutions.

Council members also:

•Denied a resident’s request to have a street light installed near the intersection of 110 South Burton Street and Dewayne Creek. Pippen said the area is lighted sufficiently according to city standards and that the resident’s problem will need to be solved with a security light on private property.

•Agreed to talk to trash collection company IESI about emptying city trash bins downtown.

•Tabled action on the city park’s proposed rules and regulations. Council members were still waiting for the final word on the regulations from the city’s parks board and expect to hear from them by next month’s meeting, according to discussion.