Kidd requests relief for Fleming Lane in Vincent
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Vincent City Councilman Ernest Kidd Jr. wants something to be done about Fleming Lane in Vincent.
He invited Shelby County commissioners to take a ride down Fleming Lane at the commission’s meeting Monday night.
&uot;This needs immediate attention,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s become a safety hazard.&uot;
Kidd said there were 15 potholes in the first 100 yards from Fleming Road, each measuring one to three-and-a-half feet deep.
His main concern, he said, was the school bus route down Fleming Lane.
&uot;You need to stop that bus from going down there,&uot; he said, indicating the bus driver deserved hazard pay for driving down the lane. &uot;I’m concerned about the children. No kid in this county should have to get beat up, beat out, beat under, beat down on that road.&uot;
County Engineer Randy Cole said Kidd was not exaggerating about the condition of Fleming Lane; however, he said the road is a private one and the county does not have jurisdiction.
&uot;It’s a private road,&uot; he said, &uot;not a county-maintained road.&uot;
The county has a right to accept roads such as these to maintain but with this road, there have been a number of problems.
One of the pieces of property from which the county would have to receive a right of way has been taken over by the state of Alabama, he said.
&uot;There’s no one to sign over the right of way,&uot; he said.
He also pointed out that the county commission has no jurisdiction over bus routes.
Commission chairman Larry Dillard agreed.
&uot;We have to do this legally,&uot; he told Kidd, &uot;and we have to do it when we can.&uot;
He urged Kidd to appeal to the Board of Education.
&uot;Appear a Board of Education meeting if you want to get that bus off that road. We will assign this to the Utilities and Road Committee; but in the meantime, these safety issues must be solved by the Board of Education,&uot; Dillard said.
In other business, the commission heard from County Manager Alex Dudchock regarding the opening of a license office on Highway 280.
Dudchock said the county is currently in negotiations regarding a suite at Inverness Corners that would be a good fit.
He predicted it would take a while to work through the negotiations on the facility and indicated there were other options should this one fall through.
Dudchock also told commissioners to expect an initial conceptual design soon for its next park project.
The county’s newest park will be located on land already owned by the town of Westover and will be similar to county parks located in Wilsonville and Vandiver.
&uot;It will be three to five acres close to the 280 corridor in the Westover community,&uot; Dudchock said.