The Midway City Council Monday struggled again with the issue of potholes along Butler Street and will vote on possible repairs at its next regular meeting April 9.
Some of the potholes are large and deep, and some lie on the city’s Butler Street right-of-way. Others are on private property including the parking lots of businesses buildings. Midway Mayor Levern Clancy Jr. said he has been working on solutions, but he said property owners did not want to pay for any portion of the repairs.
Midway has a cost estimate of $4,500 for pothole repair and hopes to contract for cutting out the areas of potholed asphalt and backfilling them. Abe Hadji, engineer with the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission, said crush-and-run would then be applied, followed by paving. Hadji pointed out that the property lines along Butler Street were unclear.
Council members discussed the potholes located on private property; Clancy said, "We want to fix what’s ours," with no solution for the private property question.
A vote is also planned April 9 on a remedy for a persistent drainage problem at 177 Medway Drive. Councilwoman Melice Gerace obtained an estimate of $2,500 for repairing a drainage swale so shallow that it causes the property to flood. Hadji said a contractor would clean out the swale and correct the elevation to allow the area to drain. A grade of at least three percent is needed, Hadji said.
In other business:
The council decided to publish a request for proposals for someone to serve as Midway’s city attorney.
Norton Consulting Services, a company hired to administer city finances, submitted a written report.
Members of the council decided to update a mutual aid agreement with the Liberty County Sheriff Department, apparently dating from 2007. Clancy questioned why the Savannah Police Department was also asking for a mutual aid agreement with Midway. Both agreements will be discussed next month.
Police Chief Kelli Morningstar said there had been accounts of door-to-door sales in Midway and asked citizens to report this along with any other suspicious activities to the police.
Parker can be contacted by email at joeparkerjr@hotmail.com.