Selina Iglesias
Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Madison County Commission met for their regular meeting on Wednesday, July 13, at 9 a.m. Up first was petitions from the public.
A citizen came forward expressing her concerns about the speed limit on Hammerly Street, in Madison. The speed limit for the area is 45 mph, but several tractor trailers and even local drivers have disregarded the speed limit. In total, according to the citizen, there have been six accidents, one fatality and even an instance where a semi ended up on the citizen's property. Traffic has increased in the area, especially since semi trucks use the area to skip being weighed at the weigh station.
The citizen was highly concerned for the safety of her neighbors and the children around the area, including her own, as there is a bus stop around the area.
“I don't want another vehicle to come into my yard while my kids are playing,” said the citizen. She asked the commissioners if the speed limit sign could be moved and if the cost of acquiring the wreck reports on Hammerly Street could be covered by the county.
“Whatever we decide to do, we have to do rather quickly since school starts soon,” said Attorney Tom Reeves.
Chairman Rick Davis reminded the citizen that the board does not have all the power, as there are statutes that will limit some of the action they can take, but he agreed to go forward with the process of investigating the issue. The commissioners agreed to look into it and tabled the issue for the next meeting.
Next, the commissioners discussed several public works projects.
First on the agenda was the striping estimates for the Madison County Rec Park. The commissioners chose Jenkins Painting to do the striping of the entry road of the rec park for a total of $34,000.
The commissioners then went over the priority list for local road projects that were recommended for the Department of Transportation for fiscal year 2021. As far as the Small County Road Assistance Program (SCRAP), Morris Steen Rd. is the number one priority, and the resurfacing of County Road 255 and Hwy 6 is the number two priority. In the Small County Outreach Program (SCOP), Juniper Drive Phase 1 is the number one priority, while Cactus Ave. is the number two priority. For the County Incentive Grant Program (CIGP), St. Augustine Road is the number one priority, and Farm Rd. is the number two priority.
Tom Moffses came forward to urge the commissioners to pay extra attention to Little Cat Rd. and Flowers Rd., as those roads are in need of paving.
The commissioners approved the priority list unanimously.
Up for discussion next regarded adding a paving requirement to Madison County development complex covenants and restrictions.The commissioners agreed to go over the requirement at a later meeting.
Lastly, the commissioners approved the widening and resurfacing of Harvey Greene Dr. Resurfacing the road will allow a much wider area for turning and provide a much safer way to travel down the road. Contracting company Anderson Columbia will be completing the project.