Crews Busy Paving, Building Bridge, Patching Potholes

Last updated on Wednesday, June 3, 2015

(BEDFORD) - Lawrence County Highway crews are busy mowing right-of-ways, patching potholes and paving roads.

Superintendent Dave Holmes told the commissioners Tuesday that Coveyville Road from Donica Church Road to the northeast, about three-fourths of a mile, will be closed for paving today.

The road will be closed from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. No traffic will be allowed through.

Indian Creek Camp Road from Avoca Eureka to Reuter Lane will be closed for paving Thursday, June 11. No traffic will be allowed through.

Crews have finished paving Valley Mission Road and Donica Church Road.

The bridge abutments to the bridge on Mount Pleasant Road are also complete.

Bridge crews are working on Bridge 89, located on Guthrie Road over Salt Creek. The bridge is closed as crews demolish the deck of the structure. Crews will be taking down the old bridge to replace it with a new one. It should take about 70 days to complete the new bridge.

Also bridge 82 on Judah Logan Road over Salt Creek is now posted at a 15 ton limit. This bridge is due to be replaced upon completion of Bridge 89.

"We are working on paving the numerous potholes throughout the county," Holmes says. "There are many. February weather hit us hard and made what potholes we had worse and added numerous others. We are doing the best we can."

Holmes also discussed the issue of Lehigh Cement using Ball Road to get their heavy equipment in and out of their facility.

Currently the road Lehigh employees were using is in need of repair, but the company can not make those repairs until the get the "okay" from the state.

"They are getting the necessary permits in order," Holmes says. "They have been fantastic partners and we are working with them until this issue is solved."

Commissioner Bill Spreen says residents on Ball Road are upset about the added Lehigh traffic on their road.

"I don't blame them," Spreen added. "A fee residents are really taking the brunt of this all. The problem will hopefully be resolved soon. It is always a process when you are dealing with the state. Lehigh will repair the roads and they will make the road better than what it was before they started using it."

In other business:

Andrew and Kristin Bailey asked the commissioners to vacate a parking area at The Loft on J Street.

"Some how through the years the parking lot was carved out of the legal description of the property," says Commissioner Chris May.

The Bailey's bought the property in Sept. 2013 and at that time believed they owned the lot.

"We didn't realize it had been removed from our legal description until we were getting ready to repave the lot and found the problem," Andrew Bailey says.

The property reverted back to the county after no one paid the taxes on the property.

Now the Baileys are asking the county to deed the lot back to them. But before that can be done the adjacent landowners will be notified to see if they are interested in purchasing the property.

Sheriff Mike Branham says reported there were 118 inmates at the jail. Of those 3 were Department of Correction Holds and 28 were females.

Branham says the female population is up because of drug activity.

"I remember back in 91 when we had one block in the jail that would hold 8 women and that was all we ever needed," he added. "The offenses than were an occasional public intoxicated charge or check deception. Now we are holding high-level felons for a much longer time. Many have been bonded out and then re-offend and now don't have a bond and most of the charges stem from drugs."

William Hamilton requested the county to vacate property in Tunnelton off Indian Street and Summer Lane. The commissioners says there are legal steps that need to be taken and the land owner must be notified about the request.

County Assessor April Collins requested the commissioner sign a three year contract with Tax Management Associates to conduct a personal property assessment audit.

"This is something we are required to do by the state," she added.

The commissioners signed the contract.

1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com

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