Grenada woman whose mother lives in Duck Hill wants the Town of Duck Hill to reimburse her for the cost of two tires after she hit a pothole which according to her was “big enough to put a baby and a baby crib inside” twice on Mother’s Day. She has requested the town pay for the repairs to her car.
However, Delores Everett didn’t report the incident to the town until July 8 when she appeared at the meeting of the town’s board of aldermen with one of the tires that she had to replace.
Everett said she came down to see her mom on Mother’s Day, and the car she was driving, she only drives on the main highway and to see her mom.
“I don’t drive it on streets with potholes and stuff on them,” she said.
Everett said after she hit the hole twice, she felt her car vibrating. She said she continued to drive the car because it did not seem serious at the time.
“My grandson and I were on our way to Walmart, and we were over by the clock tower in Grenada, I think they call it Time Square, and it got to shimmering real bad. So, I told my grandson we’ll take it over to get looked at,” Everett said.
She said she took the vehicle, which she did not elaborate on make and model, to Gateway.
“I told them to check the front end. Because you know when you hit a hole, it messes up the front end,” Everett said.
Everett said she had to pay a grand total of $249 for two new tires and a bearing.
“I feel that the town should pay for it because it’s the town’s responsibility to maintain the roads,” she said.
Everett then said she filled the hole with gravel so that people can ride on the road smoothly. Everett identified a man who she said witnessed her filling the hole with gravel.
Mayor Joey Cooley told Everett the town knew about the pothole and was in the process of paving the road and roads around town.
“Well, it doesn’t matter what y’all are doing now,” Everett said.
Board attorney Ray Baum asked Cooley if the pothole had been reported.
“It hasn’t, but it doesn’t have to be reported, we all know it’s there,” Cooley said.
Alderman Leroy Nash asked Everett how old her tires were prior to getting them replaced.
“Well, they’re not that old, but I’ll bring the invoice by where I purchased them if need be,” she said but she never said how old were the tires.
Baum said he would ride by and look at the pothole and then determine if Duck Hill is negligent.
“But, you are negligent because it is your responsibility to take care of the roads, and since there’s a pothole it makes the town liable,” Everett told Baum, stated again he would ride by and see the pothole.
“Well, it’s incomplete, and I need to know what you all are going to do about my tires,” Everett said.
“Well, they meet again next month, but I’ll ride by and I’ll get with [Mayor Cooley] about it,” Baum said.
The board also heard for Josh Hadet and Jessie Mann who gave a report on the progress of the Duck Hill Library. Hadet said the Mid-Mississippi Regional Library Board isn’t requesting an increase for the library.
“This is the first time in my 23 years of serving on the board that there hasn’t been a request for an increase,” Cooley said, with Mann jokingly telling him to add one.
Nash commended Mann on the work that she’s done for the library.
“I love kids and I love what I do,” she said.
