Madison Co. BOC members discuss potential road projects

Madison County commissioners will receive over $500,000 in state funds for local projects for 2013.

Exactly how they’ll spend that money remains to be seen, but commission chairman Anthony Dove asked for suggestions Oct. 8.

And four out of five board members offered roads that need attention in their districts.

District 1 commissioner Stanley Thomas said that both Blacks Creek Church Road (4.138 miles) and Sanford Road (2.985 miles) need resurfacing.

District 2 commissioner John Pethel said he’d like to see the bridge replaced on Sam Bruce Road.

District 3 commissioner Mike Youngblood said he was not ready to make a recommendation on what needed attention in his district, adding that he would provide the chairman with a suggestion soon. Youngblood also said he’s received requests to put sidewalks on Glenn Carrie Road, but he said he’s not in favor of such a move, noting that it would likely increase late night foot traffic in the area. However, he said he planned to go door to door to find out what the citizens wanted.

District 4 commissioner Dewitt “Pete” Bond said he’d like to see turn lanes installed at the Hwy. 98-Hwy. 29 intersection. He said he’d also like to see the rest of Colbert-Danielsville Road paved. The portion of the road from the Colbert city limits to Colbert Grove Church Road was resurfaced this summer.

District 5 commissioner Jim Escoe said he’d like to see 2.04 miles of Sorrow Patterson Road surfaced.

Dove said he would get price estimates on the proposed projects and report back to the board.

He said the state Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) requires a 30-percent matching contribution from the counties. Madison County’s LMIG allocation for 2013 is $543,713, which means the county must contribute roughly $160,000 to get that money, bringing the total money spent on road improvements next year to at least $700,000 through the LMIG program.

Dove said the LMIG contribution has increased from $300,000 two years ago to over $500,000 for next year. He said the state is also leaving road projects more at the discretion of local governing bodies.

“They’re giving us more and more leeway,” he said.

In a separate matter, Youngblood said he is working with Sen. Frank Ginn to get a red light at the dangerous intersection in front of First Citizens Bank on Hwy. 29 in front of Ingles.

He said there have been 77 accidents at the intersection in the past 30 months.

Also Oct. 8, the board heard from Northwood Circle resident Brenda Tarver who said that her road turns into a “sloshy mudhole” when it rains. She asked the board to consider paving the road. Youngblood agreed to look into the matter.