Our Views – The mayors of Pelham, Helena, Calera and Alabaster have taken positive steps to receive the federal funding they need to improve roads in their cities.

And what a giant step that was.

Each of the cities is experiencing the growing pains of roads that can no longer handle the daily flow of traffic.

Each city must provide the necessary police officers to patrol at heavy-traffic times.

And, faced with limited funds for the road

improvements, each city must vie for any funds which can be scratched from the state and county.

The mayors have decided to work as a team to lobby for federal funding. They have taken this important step in securing the future of their areas, but we ask, what about the rest of the county?

County officials have been working for some time to bring leaders together in some form of an advisory committee.

As envisioned, this committee would help in determining the needs of Shelby County as a whole.

We believe the time of these four mayors would be better spent working with other county leaders in an effort to improve all of Shelby County.

The fact that those cities centered on Highway 31 do not touch Highway 280 does not mean that residents who live in those cities do not travel Highway 280.

One of the mayors was correct when he said, &uot;It is in our citizens’ best interest that we try to petition and work together to get the road money that this county deserves.&uot;

That is absolutely correct.

It is in the citizens’ best interests for leaders – all of the county’s leaders – to work together for the betterment of Shelby County – all of Shelby County.

It is only as a whole that we will continue to prosper, and we urge our leaders to remember that