Town council addresses street issues (updated)

Published 9:25 pm Monday, December 9, 2013

Maplesville’s town council addressed street issues during a regular meeting Monday.

After asking to be on Monday’s agenda, visitors Allen and Anne Taddicken spoke to the council about excessive speeding and other traffic violations they have seen motorists commit on their street, Dawn Street.

Anne Taddicken said she has observed numerous people exceeding the street’s speed limit of 15 miles per hour and running the stop sign at the end of the street near her house.

Taddicken said she was especially concerned about her young nieces and nephews and other children in the area possibly being harmed by motorists not obeying traffic laws while driving down her street.

“It’s just gotten out of hand,” Taddicken said. “I just don’t know what else to do.”

The council approved placing two speed bumps on the street.

The speed bumps are 6-by-12 feet, made of recycled rubber and can be removed later if residents and the council decide the traffic issues have ceased.

The speed bumps will cost about $250 to install.

In new business, the council approved adding a street light on County Road 10.

Councilwoman Sheila Hall expressed concerns about road conditions on Reynolds Street and Oil Tank Road, saying she had received numerous complaints about the damaged surfaces of the roads causing problems for vehicles traveling on them.

“Something has got to be done now,” Hall said.

The council approved purchasing 10 loads of rock for $215 to use in patching the surfaces of the roads.

For the police department, the council approved hiring Stephen Blaylock as a part-time officer to replace David Williams, who left his position with Maplesville to work for the Chilton County Sheriff’s Department.

Court Clerk Cindy Brown presented the warrant report for November in which the town started out with 872 warrants, ended with 868 outstanding warrants, issued five, recalled six and served three warrants.

Brown said the town collected $178 through the Safe Streets Act, bringing the total for the year to $2,728.

In other police department business, the council approved the resignation of Town Prosecutor Chris Speaks and approved for Fletcher Green to be the new town prosecutor starting Jan. 1.

Green also serves as the town of Thorsby’s prosecutor.

“He was highly recommended to us, so we think that’s who we need to do the job,” Mayor W.C. Hayes said of Green.

For the fire department, the council agreed to wait to replace the brakes on the department’s ambulance.

At a previous meeting, the council had approved for the brakes to be checked and repaired based on concerns from department members about the brakes needing to be changed to speed up the ambulance’s stop time.

Town Clerk Sheila Haigler said mechanics that checked the ambulance’s brakes reported they are in good condition, and any issues with the ambulance’s stop time seeming slow have to do with the weight of equipment it carries.

Brake repairs would have cost about $1,000.

In other business Monday, the council:

•Tabled a decision about whether to allow the Maplesville High School Athletic Club to have a raffle drawing and dinner at the fire department in order to get more information from a representative of the club.

•Approved to get more bids on tanker repairs for the fire department.

•Approved to pay Shelby Concrete only for services rendered thus far as opposed to a flat rate of $80.

•Reviewed the status of repairs to the town’s garbage truck. Half of the repairs to the truck’s interior slide have been completed, and the remainder of repairs must be finished by the next inspection, which is expected to be in early 2014.

•Approved having the police department serve a letter to a resident about a nuisance property after alternate methods of delivery were not effective in getting the letter to the resident.

•Heard from Maplesville Historical Society member Clem Clapp about rolling pins and doorstops the group is selling to raise money for interior repairs to the historic Foshee house. The rolling pins (a minimum donation of $30 each) and doorstops (a minimum donation of $15 each) are made of wood from the old bitternut hickory tree – an Alabama Champion tree – that fell during a tornado Jan. 23, 2012. Items may be picked up from town hall, Abby G’s Cafe and Clapp.