Street work planned for Rosston; city honors Mullins

ROSSTON – Soon work will begin to repair 1.7 miles of streets in Rosston.

Mayor Dale Quarles said he’d done research to find a less expensive way of getting streets in the community repaired and, after talking to the mayor of Magnolia, made a deal for 23 loads of milled asphalt that will be put on the streets to help fill potholes. He pointed out there’s no point in continually buying gravel to fill these holes as it’s washed away when it rains. This, he told the Rosston City Council at its July meeting Monday, will be like getting a chip and seal job done.

The materials, he said, will cost $10,500 for 23 loads, while the cost of transporting the material will run $250 per load, or $5,750. Edd Cross has agreed to haul the fill material for this price, according to Quarles. Overall, he added, the city will get 1.7 miles of street work done for less than $20,000. In addition, Quarles has spoken with Nevada County Judge Mark Glass, who’s agreed to have the county do the prep work on the streets and help with the construction.

When asked if the city had the funds for this, Quarles said he’d been saving money by not buying gravel and once this work is done the city should still have at least $15,000 in its street budget.

He gave an update on the city’s website, saying it’s  up and can be accessed. However, he told the panel, bills can’t be paid online yet because the city needs to find a source to partner with. Once this is done, residents can pay bills online. Quarles said plans are to put photos of the council on the site, along with their contact information, the city’s budget, ordinances, resolutions and community activities. The site can be accessed at cityofrosston.org.

The council agreed to scrap the idea of having baseball fields in the community. Quarles said he met with Mary Godwin, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Agency and a lawyer, about this. “I couldn’t get all the details the way I wanted,” he said about the plans, “and I’m looking at other options.” According to Quarles, people in the community would rather see it developed as a more recreational area and include basketball courts, maybe a second walking trail. But, he told the panel, the property now belongs to the city to do with as it pleases.

Lynn Mullins, wife of Nevada Blue Jay Coach Bobby Mullins, was on hand to ask about putting up a billboard recognizing the team’s winning a state title along Hwy. 371 between the fire station and city hall. The billboard, she said, will be eight feet by sixteen feet, and be paid for from money raised through fundraisers. There will be no cost to the city. The panel approved the measure.

At the end of the meeting, Bobby Mullins was recognized for winning the state Class A basketball title in one of the last games played before everything was shut down due to COVID-19. Quarles presented Mullins with a certificate, a plaque and $30 gift  card to Barr’s Junction  as a way of saying thanks.