The town of Duck Hill is looking into how to finance a potential new paving project.
During their monthly meeting Monday night, Public Works Superintendent Patricia “Sookie” Currington told board members and Mayor Joey Cooley that she and Clay Eldridge, with the Montgomery County Road Department, rode around to see the condition of the roads in Duck Hill.
Currington gave an estimate of what the work, assisted by the county, would cost.
“Are we leaning toward the [$19,500] or the [$26,000]?” Cooley asked.
“The [$26,000],” Currington answered.
City Clerk LaSonja Sizemore added that the amount was without labor.
“It’s just materials, labor isn’t included,” Currington said.
The board agreed that the two roads that needed the most attention were Rosemont Road and Main Street Extension, and additional streets need attention as well.
“Keep on you’re going to have a whole list of streets,” Currington told Cooley.
“I asked Bobby Howell in Kilmichael how they did it, he said they raised their millage by one mill each year and that’s how they got the money,” Alderwoman Linda Bennett said.
“They’re not going to want that. They’re not going to want the millage raised, but they want the streets paved,” Alderwoman Lavanda Farmer said.
Cooley said there was money budgeted but not the entire amount needed and asked Board Attorney Ray Baum if it was possible to break it up.
“We have the whole amount, we just have it in different places,” he said.
Baum said he’d have to ask the Attorney General’s office their opinion before answering that. The board decided to hold another meeting to address the matter further.
“If this don’t work out, what’s our Plan B?” Farmer asked.
“Well, I’m hoping I have enough time to figure it out,” Cooley said.
Chief Tyler Winter told the board he received eight calls over the weekend about ATVs riding the roads. He said he wanted to be clear on where the board stood before he began enforcing it.
“No ATVs on the road of any kind,” Cooley said.
Cooley also informed the board that the police department had received a grant to purchase a police vehicle. He told them the grant had a match of $8,000 to $10,000 from the town. He said with the town’s new animal control officer the purchase could be beneficial.
“What we didn’t want them to do, that’s what they did,” Cooley said. He said for residents to not overfill the dumpster or throw trash out beside the dumpster once it’s full. He said it’ll be taken away and another one brought in its place.
“I’ve extended it until the end of this month,” Cooley said about the dumpster. He said the dumpster will be removed at the first of July.
