A problem with noise was one of the main topics at the Feb. 13 Luverne City Council meeting when a complaint was brought before the council from West 6th Street residents concerning the old Luverne Slacks factory building that is leased by SMART Plant from the Crenshaw County Economic and Industrial Development Authority. The City of Luverne owns the building.

&#8220We know that's a residential area, and there are a lot of big trucks that travel down that road,” Luverne Mayor Joe Rex Sport told the council. &#8220The loading ramp is on the west side of the building, so when they run that loading lift and drop that heavy metal, it's very noisy.”

Earlier, several residents along West 6th Street had reported that for several months now the trucks have been running as early as 7 on a Saturday morning or as late as 2 a.m. on a Sunday night.

Sport said that he had met with plant officials and had asked them to locate the ramp on the east side so the building itself &#8220could be used as a buffer for the sound.”

The City of Luverne will finance the machine work to prepare the ramp on the east side of the building, according to Sport.

&#8220As a matter of fact, we're starting on our part now,” he said.

The council approved a motion to pursue the plan.

In other business, the mayor reported that sales tax for the city was up again this past month.

Council member Barbara Harrison reported that Luverne Police Chief Paul Allen's office is in the process of being renovated. Also, Officer Mason Adcock is in his fourth week of the police academy, and Harrison said that it was reported he was doing well.

&#8220We also have our police officers taking Korean classes two nights a week for a month,” Harrison said. &#8220This should help them with very basic conversational skills.”

Harrison also said that the Luverne Police Department's Victim Service Unit would be implementing the &#8220A Child Is Missing Alert” program, which can place up to 1,000 calls in 60 seconds in the area in which a child was last reported seen.

&#8220I think that we are very fortunate to have this program for our area,” she said.

*At the Jan. 23 Luverne City Council meeting, the council approved the following items of business:

*Called for approval of the Jan. 9 minutes.

*Approved to reappoint Lathan Hooks to the Water Board.

*Approved to reappoint Mike Jones and Barbara Windham to the Library Board.

*Approved to declare properties on West First Street and North Franklin as unsafe and a public nuisance and gave the property owners 10 days before action would be taken to tear down the houses and access the cost thereof to the property owners.

*Approved to donate $100 toward a reception in honor of Doni Ingram, who resigned as director of CCEIDA to accept a position with ADECA.

The next regular meeting of the Luverne City Council will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27.