Walnut Ave. traffic generates Council discussion; Halloween set Oct. 30

Demopolis City Councilman David McCants started a spirited discussion on speeders and truckers along Walnut Avenue at the end of the Demopolis City Council meeting Thursday.

McCants said Phase One of the plan to slow speeders and divert big rig trucks to the designated truck route has failed. He said it was time for Phase Two that included imposing fines for truckers and another stop sign at Walnut and Decatur Street.

He got support from Harold Parks, who has for years pointed out the issue of truckers and speeders along the street. Parks proposed another stop sign or speed bump to slow cars.

Mayor Woody Collins said Walnut is not the only street in the city having problems, and the city cannot work with just one group of people to resolve the speeding issue.

“Anyone who thinks we haven’t made a difference, I beg to differ,” he said.

The mayor also said a local judge by state law cannot levy a fine on truck drivers, a point McCants contested but Marengo County Commissioner Freddie Armstead agreed with.

Collins cut the discussion short by saying the issue would be turned over to the Public Safety Committee for study and recommendations.

The Council finally put to rest the issue of mobile homes in R-3 zoned areas. In an effort to clean up the Planning Commission documentation, the group voted to rescind the items in the Commission’s manual allowing the policy.

Louie Padilla complemented the mayor and council for a quick response to replacing a dilapidated fence around one of the city’s pump stations that had become a hangout for illegal drug use. Collins said the Water Board “stepped up to the plate” and corrected the problem.

The mayor signed a proclamation recognizing Pilot International Founders Week Oct. 18-23 on the 100th anniversary of its founding. The Demopolis club, one of 291 around the world, has been in existence for more than 74 years.

In other action, the Council:

• Set the official observance of Halloween for Trick-or-Treaters on Saturday, Oct. 30.
• Reappointed Jay Reynolds to a second term on the Demopolis Water Works and Sewer Board.
• Appointed Evelyn James to the Industrial Development Board.
• Approved the 2019-2020 audit conducted by the firm of LeCroy Richardson of Northport.

Collins, who admitted to coming up with out-of-the-box ideas, made an appeal to entrepreneurs and contractors in the city to consider constructing a manufactured home community and sell the lots. He said such a community with paved roads and utilities would provide a place for people who needed a permanent location to place a manufactured home.

He also asked the Council to consider the future of the old Ford dealership. He said the property could be declared surplus and sold or demolished as part of the city’s clean-up efforts.