Sulphur City Councilman and chair Stuart Moss was the guest speaker at Friday’s Sunrise Rotary meeting. He touched upon past and present issues facing the City Council.
According the Moss, Redman Gaming was issued a permit on Friday, August 22, to build a much debated truck stop/video poker establishment next to Grainger’s on Hwy.108 with Bobel Construction beginning work on the site possibly within the next 30 days. Redman’s original site, located next to the Sulphur Wal-Mart, was a hotly contested topic recently when the city, along with citizens, objected to the location of the truck stop. A potential lawsuit was averted when an alternate site was proposed and accepted by Redman Gaming. The original site is once again for sale for nearly a million and half dollars.
“Whether you like gaming or you don’t... it doesn’t matter. We followed the people’s wishes and at the same time we kept the business in Sulphur,” said Moss.
Traffic cameras in school zones have also come under fire in recent months with some citizens feeling it’s an invasion of their privacy. So far, the ordinance and introduction have been passed by the City Council, and contract discussions are on the agenda for September’s City Council meeting.
In reference to the view of some that it’s an invasion of privacy, Moss stated, “I’m sorry. When you walk out this door right now and get in your vehicle, there’s nothing private about being on a public road. The bottom line is, if you never break the law it never takes your picture.”
“You’re not looking to make revenue, because even with an officer on the street we don’t pocket 100 percent of those fines. We pocket somewhere between two and three percent of those fines that are brought in. We can have our patrolmen out in your neighborhood taking care of your calls or your business, or homes or accidents, and we can also, at the same time, have cameras sitting out there in school zones.”
Moss stated that the cameras are provided by a private company which is not affiliated with the city. The cost of installation, maintenance and employees are handled entirely by the company. There is no cost to the City of Sulphur.
There is also a proposal before the Council to rezone the property directly across the street from Maplewood School with plans to build an apartment complex consisting of 36 to 42 units.
Moss is strongly opposed to this particular development. He pointed out that the traffic increase to this already congested area of the city would only be magnified with the addition of approximately 96 additional parking spaces for apartment dwellers.