At the City Council meeting on August 1st, several concerned citizens came forward to lament the state of Davis Street and East Cornelia Street. Situated on Marion’s northside, the roads have fallen under disrepair, even as the County has been working on repairing the striping and conditions of other county roads, notably County Road 12, Sardis Church Road and Spring Hill Road. Though the concerns come at a busy time for the City as a whole, with the ADEM Consent Order and squabbles over pay raises taking full focus, these roads are indeed in poor condition. The roads feel rough and appear worn. The grass on the area nearby is not maintained except by private residencies. By contrast, the County has been busily working on doing their part. At the County Commission Meeting on Tuesday, August 9th, County Engineer Kimbrough stated that the County had finished work on the drainage on Sardis Church Road and begun on the basin earlier this week. The County also finished paving County Road 12 and is expecting to begin the new striping next week, with reflectors and striping coming in this Friday. Other plans were discussed to begin work at some point on Jimmy Lee Jackson Road.
County Commission Chairman Albert Turner Jr. who lives on Davis Street, stated the streets are the City’s responsibility and not the job of the County to deal with.
“The City has to do their responsibility. Davis Street is in the heart of the City. It’s overgrown and needs attention.”
He stated that Davis Street had not received attention in around a year, saying that “it got cut last year. The City hired a contractor who did an excellent job. The County has 1 machine and is responsible for maintaining the whole county. I don’t know why they haven’t reached out to him. The City needs to find a way to get the work done.”
