Gainesville City Council hears requests from area residents, Hootin an Hollarin committee

The Gainesville City Council met in regular session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at Gainesville City Hall. 

City council members Lana Bushong, Dana Crisp, Teri Edades and Treva Warrick were in attendance. Council members April Lynne and Amanda Rogers were absent. 

Also attending the meeting was Mayor Deanna “Gail” Reich, Gainesville Fire Chief Kevin Piland, City Prosecutor James Mucklestone, Maintenance Supervisor Mike Davis, Clerk Lisa Goodnight and Water Specialist Jessi Price, along with residents Doug Hawkins, Mike and Heather Gardner, Kyle Green and Kim Wilson. 

Meetings, which are open to the public, are generally held at 6 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at City Hall. 

Inquiry about purchasing city-owned land

During the city council’s open forum section, each resident is allowed a short period to speak to the council on their topic and ask any questions they may have. The council then addresses the topics later during the meeting or at a future meeting and may or may not vote any related matters.  

Michael and Heather Gardner were the first to speak during open forum. They expressed interest in approximately 3.5 acres of city-owned property that joins the back of the Old Harlin House parcel the couple recently purchased. The Gardners have opened a wedding and event venue at that location, and they are in the process of clearing pathways through the woods on the back side of the land to include an access to Lick Creek, which could be utilized for other events or business ideas, they said. They told the city council that they feel the property the city owns would complement the Old Harlin House property well. The conversation was general in nature, with no specific proposal expressed; therefore, no action was taken. 

Hootin an Hollarin requests

Doug Hawkins was the second resident to speak during open forum, making requests on behalf of the Hootin an Hollarin committee for this year’s Sept. 17-19 festival, held on the square in Gainesville. 

He asked that he be permitted to close a portion of Third Street from the corner of the square to Leeton Luna Lane from 10 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday of the festival (Sept. 18-19) to allow space to set up the annual “Shelter Insurance Kids Corner,” an area that is totally free for kids to play games, use bounce houses and other fun activities. 

Hawkins also asked if the areas designed for handicapped parking during the 2025 worked out well, and wondered if the Hootin an Hollarin committee could count on using the same areas for handicapped parking in 2026. 

Lastly, Hawkins asked that an “Emergency Command Center” RV could be parked on the south side of Third Street during the festival. He explained that the RV command center would serve as a cooling station, sheriff’s office remote location and for other emergency response personnel. 

In another festival matter, a proposed city ordinance was supplied to the council members by Sheriff Cass Martin on behalf of the Hootin an Hollarin committee, which would prohibit any booths that are not associated with the Hootin an Hollarin Committee from setting up on the city streets during the festival. The ordinance is being proposed to help curb issues that have arisen from certain businesses setting up booths on outlying streets without registering with the festival committee and paying the fees involved, all of which is reinvested into future festivals. 

The city council took up the topics later in the meeting. 

Councilwoman Warrick made a motion to allow the closing of Third Street from the intersection at Main Street to Leeton Luna Lane during the festival. Edades seconded the motion. All present council members voted in favor. Motion passed. 

Councilwoman Bushong made a motion to allow designated handicapped parking in an area on Main Street and a portion of Fourth Street. Dana Crisp seconded. All present council members voted in favor. Motion passed.

There was no action taken on the command center request. 

The ordinance relating to the booths was taken under advisement and sent to City Attorney Jessica Blackburn to review. It is expected the city council will take a vote either adopting or declining such an ordinance at a future meeting after hearing back from the attorney. 

A request to hay former airport property

Resident Kyle Green asked the city council to allow him to hay the un-mowed portion of the former city airport property, which the city still owns. It lies alongside another portion of the former airport property, which the school now owns and has built a new baseball and softball complex on. 

Later in the meeting, Councilwoman Warrick made a motion to allow Green to cut hay on the city’s remaining property of the former airport. Teri Edades seconded. All present council members voted in favor. Motion passed

Gainesville Fire Department report

Fire Chief Kevin Piland told the council that the safety grant reimbursement payment should be in the works now. He said 26 people attended the storm spotter class that was recently held at GVFD. 

City department reports 

Councilwoman Warrick asked Mike Davis, head of the city’s maintenance department, if the highway frontage at the city-owned Hoerman Memorial Park could be mowed and maintained. Davis asked the council about purchasing cold mix. Jessi Price said there has been some improvement in the city’s water loss for the month. Mike Davis reported here was no update on the status of the sewer pump being repaired. Valves and check valves have been replaced. The chains in the clarifier need repairs.

Other updates

City park updates–It was reported that the work to replace the wooden posts on the Hoerman Memorial Park pavilion and other repairs would begin on May 20. Matt Lynne completed the repairs. 

Bushong said the transition to locking and unlocking the park gate during open and closed hours has been going well. 

It was also reported that the cleanup has not been completed in an area of the park where some trees were cut down. Mayor Reich said she would call the people who volunteered to clean the trees up (and take the wood) in order to get an update on when they plan to do that work. Those individuals are not employees of the city. 

Nuisance Ordinance – James Mucklestone reported that there has been positive forward movement in two “nuisance ordinance” violation cases that have been filed on behalf of the city. The tickets were issued to residents over the last several months who have not properly kept their property clean and neat to the standards of the city’s ordinance. The residents and others have helped to clean those properties up since that time, he said. 

Courthouse Meter Relocation – Repairman Kenny Ericksen, who won the city’s bid for the project, was scheduled to move the city’s water meter from inside the courthouse to an outdoor location during the week of May 25.

Audit – As of the meeting date, the city’s audit was currently in progress. 

New business

Drinking water project easement update – The city council heard an update on a drinking water project involving lines that need replaced near well #2. There has been some issue in obtaining the easement agreement for the property from the landowner, which has stalled the work. Officials are now looking into alternatives. The projected completion is in September or October 2026. There are discussions with the project engineer concerning the best way to utilize the grant funds that are available. There will be more updates in the upcoming months. 

New trash receptacles–Bo Freise, whose bid was chosen a few months ago to take care of the city’s flower beds on the Gainesville square, told the council he has noticed a need for trash receptacles with cigarette butt disposal around the square. He said that as he has been cleaning up the curb areas, he’s realized that cigarette butts and trash are a problem. He also asked that he be allowed to attach brackets to the city’s light poles around the square with screws in order to hang the new flower baskets. 

City Hall Facia Repair – The city will advertise for bids to replace the facia on City Hall. 

White River Valley Electric AutoPay – Council woman Warrick made a motion to put the city’s electric bills on AutoPay. Edades seconded. All present city council members voted in favor. Motion passed.

Equipment Requests

Davis said that the city’s maintenance department is looking for a smaller dump truck to purchase. 

 Closed Session

The city council entered a closed session portion of the meeting at 7:35 p.m., and all those who are not on the council were asked to leave. They remained in closed session for 35 minutes before exiting closed session at 8:10 p.m. There were no votes in closed session, city officials report.