The Centre City Council has moved a step closer toward a new fire department building. And on the subject of building, the city has also hired a new building inspector.

The council voted, a few months ago, to remove the current building adjacent to Centre City Hall which houses the Alcoholics Anonymous and other programs. During a recent council meeting, Mayor Phil Powell explained to members that he had checked with a company that moves buildings. The company informed Mayor Powell that the building is too tall and that movers would run into difficulty trying to avoid utility lines and traffic lights during the moving process.

The council voted to declare the building as surplus property and to advertise for its demolition.

Mayor Powell informed the council that Brian McKinney was hired as the city’s new building inspector and part of his duties will include serving notice on the city’s new lien and clean ordinance which will required owners of dilapidated structures to make repairs or replace the structures.

The building inspector’s job is a part-time position. McKinney, Mayor Powell said, has an engineering background and currently works for McGatha Construction Company.

Councilman Glenn Chandler, who is over the street and sanitation department, reported that the new garbage containers have been delivered to residents who subscribe to the city collection service. He estimated that approximately 90 percent of them followed the instructions given with the containers. However, some residents placed them too close to their garbage cans and others did not turn the wheels toward their houses, away from the street, as specified in the information.

The city received other reports from elderly citizens who had difficulty rolling the cans to their curbs because of their height. The city will work with these citizens and also encourage other citizens to read the instructions carefully. If taken care of, they should last approximately 10 years, Chandler said.

In other action, Councilman Henry Wright reported a postponement of the Dixie Youth Park paving project because of the soft soil around the concession stand. The project should resume soon, he said.

Mayor Powell recently contacted the Department of Youth Services about getting some of the juveniles inmates from Camp Lewis about helping out with the Renew Our Rivers program. The youth worked Friday and Saturday, April 18-19.

“They were willing to work where we needed them most,” said Mayor Powell. “I feel like Weiss Lake is an asset to everybody. They went up above John’s Groceries and worked in that area. And then they came back and worked Saturday. They did a great job.