Several city projects continue to move forward, City EngineerCarl Ray Furr told aldermen Tuesday night.

Aldermen are scheduled to receive bids on a downtown streetpaving project Dec. 6. Furr said the board would then have 60 daysto act on awarding a contract for the work.

Furr said officials are cognizant of potential problems withpaving work being done in the downtown area. With that in mind, theengineer said the work could possibly be done at night.

“That would help eliminate any problems in the downtown businessdistrict,” Furr said.

In other work, Furr said a Center Street widening and drainageproject would be done in conjunction with a turn lane project onIndustrial Park at Manufacturers Boulevard. He said both projectsare being done with funds left over from a new overpass projectcompleted several years ago.

“We’re going to do as much of Center Street as we can,” Furrsaid.

Furr said preliminary plans for a city drainage project havebeen developed. He indicated the project would address floodingproblems due to undersized pipes in several areas of the city.

“This is a project the city, probably, will have to do over aperiod of time,” Furr said.

Regarding another development, Williford, Gearhart and Knightengineer Scott Armstrong said he expects Home Depot to begin workon its new Brookhaven store between mid-December and Jan. 24.

“They’re moving forward,” said Armstrong, who was at lastnight’s meeting to get approval of a minor change in the commercialsubdivision plot off Brookway Boulevard.

During a public hearing on cleaning of lots earlier in themeeting, aldermen approved 30-day periods for owners to clean uptheir property. A few property owners who appeared at last night’smeeting to discuss their plans and progress were given until theend of the year to complete their work.

For others, though, the clean up work will begin as city crewscan be lined up after the 30 days has expired, said BuildingInspector Steve Moreton. He said three lots on Minnesota Streetlikely will be the first areas addressed.

“That has been a tremendous eyesore on Minnesota Street for anumber of years,” he said.

In other building-related activity, aldermen approved goingforward with a HOME grant to rehabilitate local housing. Grantfunds are available to improve or, in some cases, build new housesfor qualified low-income residents.

In previous years, aldermen have applied for grant funds toimprove homes spread across the city. Mayor Bob Massengill saidthat approach will not work, and officials need to find a”concentrated area” of homes in need of work.

“They’re not going to approve one (a grant application) unlesswe find a two-three block area and go to work in that two-threeblock area,” the mayor said.

The board authorizes Massengill and Moreton to identify severalareas that could meet the criteria and report back to the board fora final decision. Officials hope to be able to do work on up toseven homes.