HUBBARD Magee has plans for city

Fixing sidewalks and building a new park are all part of the mayor's plan.
HUBBARD -- All communities are known for something, and Mayor Art Magee wants Hubbard to be the "little city with the best streets."
An enthusiastic Magee says money from a 0.5 percent increase in city income tax, which passed in November, and $350,000 in state Issue II grants will help improve the look of the city streets.
The tax will generate about $950,000 annually.
"We have some great plans," Magee said. "That money from the income tax is all going to go back to improving this city. We want to fix the sidewalks, get all new curbing, resurface our streets and clean up the whole area. When we are done people will comment on how nice our streets look."
The mayor said the plan also includes sewer cleanups, new traffic lights, remodeling the city's water and sewer facility, fixing the fire department, building a park near the city schools and creating a "safety town" to teach pre-school children basic traffic rules.
"When we went door to door last year asking for support to pass the income tax we asked people a million questions about what they would want done in the community, and this is what we are trying to do now," Magee said. "I'm not going to be able to please everyone, but I think most of the city will be pretty happy when we are finished."
The city is also planning to build a new safety service facility on School Street.
The new facility will be about a block north of the current building, Magee stated.
"We will tear down the old building, which has lots of problems, and hopefully attract a new business to the area," the mayor said. "It's a prime location because it is right in the downtown area."
Magee says he will also start an aggressive campaign to tear down old homes and get rid of junk vehicles.
"If we are making all these improvements we want the city to look neat and clean," the mayor said.
The city also has an Economic Development League that started meeting about a year ago to help come up with ideas to improve the downtown area.
"When we're done, it's going to be great," Magee said.