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By ZACHARY SEIFTER/ Staff Writer

 

Chilton County Commissioner Randall Kelley brought a road safety resolution to the commission during a meeting on June 8.

The resolution did not get voted on.

Kelley’s resolution would prohibit any permanent structures, such as fences, from being built within 35 feet of the center of any road in the county. Kelley felt like this would make the roads in Chilton County much safer.

He strongly felt, however, that the commission should enact the resolution in a way that people can still choose what to do with their property.

“I just would like for us to try to prevent things in the future from happening,” Kelley said. “But I want to be sure that we word this thing right and not make people think that we’re going to come in and just take your property without you saying anything … because I’m not for that.”

Members of the commission pointed out that there could be problems with approving such a resolution. For example, Commissioner Allen Williams pointed out that trees that are close to roads provide a much bigger safety hazard and that it would be expensive to the county to have to move those, so therefore it would not be cheap to move permanent structures that are too close to roads.

“You opened up a can of worms here,” Commissioner Matthew Mims said.

With Commission Chairman Joseph Parnell already absent, the commission decided to table to issue and to discuss it at a later time, possibly in a special-called meeting.

Also discussed at the meeting was concerns on County Road 25 and County Road 182. H.F. Scott came to the commission with the concerns on County Road 25 as the shoulders of the road were allegedly filled extremely high with dirt, rock, asphalt and other items. The concerns on County Road 182 were brought to the commission by Kim Robinson. Her concerns were with tree limbs and pot holes in the paved road that made it difficult to drive. In the dirt road on County Road 182, Robinson asked for speed bumps to be put in. The commission compromised by agreeing to look into putting stop signs on the road.

The commission also approved resolutions to spend the balance of federal aid money in the amount of $31,130.24 on centerline reflectors that would provide more lighting to approximately 100 miles of roads in the county.