Riverwalk Repairs
Dr. John Waits addressed the Commission Monday night as the face of the group making improvements to the Cahaba Riverwalk in Centreville. The group is comprised of the City of Centreville, the Bibb County Board of Education, Bibb Medical Center, and Cahaba Medical. According to Dr. Waits, the project secured grant funding for $125,000 with about $80,000 match, Bibb Medical Center has put in $35,000, and Cahaba Medical $10,000, yet they are still short of funds needed. Now that the flood waters have damaged the Riverwalk trail, even more money is needed in order to complete repairs before the improvements can be made. The canoe launch area is not in jeopardy, however, walking trail is completely collapsed in one area (see featured photo).
In a previous Commission meeting, it was asked that the County Engineer consult with the group to determine the best action for repairs. That now done, the group seeks funding for the materials needed, and asked for any available help to implement the repairs, whether it be in labor or other resources.
The short answer on money came from Commission Chairman Sammy Holdsambeck, “There is none available.” The rest of the Commission agreed that while they support the idea of the project, the county has its own problems and limited money. They simply cannot afford to put money into the Riverwalk project.
Commissioner Keefe Burt suggested that maybe someone could find grant money available through the county that could be put toward the repairs. He added, “I’m glad to see the community getting together and doing stuff like this, but that’s whose project it’s probably going to wind up having to be, is the community’s. But anything we could do, I’d be willing … but money’s not going to be it.”
Dr. Waits said that there will be a Clay Shoot event to help raise remaining match funds for the project. The fundraising event will be held April 27th, 2019, with the location and further details to be determined.
The Hill Place Debate
Brent resident Callie Martin came before the Commission with concerns about the ongoing maintenance – or not – of Martin Hills Road. Recently told that Martin Hills Road would no longer be worked by the County, Ms. Martin stated two concerns: Who will maintain the road going forward, and how can it be modified to allow emergency vehicles ability to clear a particularly sharp turn that large vehicles currently cannot get past.
On the first point it seems that a name change for the 911 system in 2007 left the Hill Place offshoot Martin Hills Road with no history prior to 2007 on the books. After some discussion between Commissioners and the County Engineer regarding what was what, the answer came that yes, the County will maintain Martin Hills Road.
As far as correcting the sharp turn in the road goes, which would allow passage of ambulance and fire trucks – there remains a question on easements and legal right-of-way. It was asserted by Ms. Martin’s brother, Vernon Hill, that the right-of-way has shrunk and the road shifted from where it originally was. He stated that he remembered the placement of the water main in the middle of the road, which is now near the edge of the road. The Hills postulated this was caused by the property owner where the road turns sharply having in essence expanded their yard and shifted dirt, causing the road to be pushed farther away and the turn becoming sharper.
County Engineer Jeff McKinney stated that there is no survey on file for the road. The question arose among Commissioners of what legally could and should be done. County Attorney Anthony Johnson requested time until the next Commission meeting to research the questions at hand, to hopefully enable direction for the Commission and County Engineer to legally resolve the issue.
Road Department Equipment Repairs and Replacements
After passing a motion to allow County Engineer Jeff McKinney and the new Assistant County Engineer Joshua Finch to both attend a conference in May, costing $778 in total, the Commission also passed a motion to pay approximately $6,000 for repairs and maintenance on a highly-used piece of road equipment.
Discussion then turned to in what way an extremely old low-boy tractor owned and used by the Road Department should be replaced. The current truck is said to be a 1987 model, in service by the county since 1992. Mr. McKinney brought a proposal to purchase a new 2020 model Peterbilt for approximately $135,000, which could then be sold at auction next spring for $125,000, which is a price he said the auction company put forth. The difference in price would effectively be less than the sum of payments on a new truck over that amount of time. The truck in question is a limited time deal, which expires in two weeks, meaning any decision made now would be final for this particular deal.
Commissioners suggested an alternate plan of purchasing a truck that is five or six years old with 300,000 or so miles on it, which could be in service for about 20 years. The expectation was that such a vehicle could be purchased for $40,000-$45,000. McKinney said the road department has been searching, but used trucks in the price range in question tend to have 500,00 – 700,000+ miles, making them halfway or more worn out already. Additionally, day-cab models (without sleepers) are “hard to find.”
The Commission voted no and did not approve the purchase of the new Peterbilt.
No More Emergency Warning Sirens in Bibb
Bibb County now offically has zero emergency alert system warning sirens. County Administrator Derek Reeves informed the Commission that the last of the sirens has stopped working, and requested that the bank account set up to maintain the sirens be closed. The account currently holds about $13,500. The Commission agreed to close the account.
This decision relates back to the 2013 decision by the Commission to stop maintaining the sirens (commonly referred to as “tornado sirens”) due to the high cost, and available alternative alert systems. According to County EMA Director Kirk Smith, the sirens dated to the late 1990’s and were obsolete. They ran on batteries that periodically needed replacing at a cost of $500 each. Multiply that by 17-18 sirens, and it adds up. Additionally, regular maintenance or repairs cost $850 “just for the truck to show up,” Mr. Smith said.
“Several other counties have gone to the type of system we have now, and they’ve proven very effective,” Smith said of the Bibb Alert system, which sends emergency alerts out to mobile devices and phones of everyone who has signed up to receive them. He encouraged all residents to do so. Click here and sign up if you aren’t on list.
Director Smith also added that Centreville and West Blocton do each have a manually operated siren, which must be activated by someone on site and do not function automatically with the emergency alert system as the now defunct sirens did. He added that because of the major cost associated with the old siren system, only larger counties and municipalities with higher revenue continued to maintain such systems.
Other Items
Probate Judge Stephanie Kemmer requested the Commission allow one of the two part-time positions in her office be allowed to convert to a full-time position. The Commission approved the request.
An Executive Session of 15 minutes was requested by County Attorney Johnson to discuss “potential litigation on two specific issues surrounding the transfer station, and also related to the construction of the courthouse addition.” The County Administrator was requested and allowed to stay in the room, but by law all observers are required to leave the room during and Executive Session.
Commissioner Kelly was not in attendance. As stated in the previous meeting, the Commissioner recently had heart surgery, and is still in recovery.
[…] Martin returned to ask for an update on the Hill Place and Martin Hills road issue presented last meeting. County Attorney and County Engineer have not yet had a chance to visit the location and discuss […]