Published: July 12, 2008 06:57 pm            

Dodge City getting new light, seeks fire truck

Dodge City residents can look forward to a new caution light where Howard’s Circle meets Highway 69 in the near future.

The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has offered to work with the town to install the light, which will cost the municipality $10,000. The town council voted to approve the motion Thursday night at its monthly meeting.

“Our people need that light,” Mayor Perry Ray said.

An Alabama Department of Transportation survey of the Dodge City area was also shown at the meeting. The aerial-view survey recommended new roads and intersections the state believes would benefit the Dodge City community in the future as the town grows.

Various roads that would run parallel to Highway 69 were mentioned in the survey, roads that would allow Dodge City residents to navigate downtown without having to cross the busy highway.

“Trying to get out onto that highway can be dangerous,” Ray said.

The new side roads would also add more road frontage for potential business and industrial growth in the future.

The proposed expansions in the survey still hinge on council approval, as well as cooperation with local property owners who would be affected.

The council plans to consider the survey further at the next scheduled meeting, and Ray said he hopes at least a portion of the work can be approved in the coming months.

Ray also mentioned that by following the state’s recommendations, the town can hopefully work with ALDOT in the future to have at least one red light installed in the downtown area.

“We’ve been trying to get red lights out here for a while now,” Ray said, referring to the Alabama Department of Transportation’s decisions to not approve the town’s requests to add a traffic light in the past. “It’s easier sometimes when you play ball.”

The council is also planning to apply for a Alabama Department of Economic and Community (ADECA) grant to help purchase a new fire truck for the town. The grant is an 80/20 match grant, meaning the town will have to pay 20 percent of the truck’s cost.

The council will be holding a special public hearing on July 17 at 4 p.m. at the town hall to discuss the grant application. The fire truck the town hopes to purchase will cost approximately $180,000 — with 80 percent being paid for by the grant, if awarded.

A special follow-up council meeting is scheduled for July 24 at 6 p.m. to further discuss the fire truck grant.

The council also:

‰ Approved a motion to pay Dodge City Excavating for clearing the plant overgrowth at the intersection of Highway 69 and County Road 216. Ray said the town paid $1,200 for the work.

‰ Approved four poll workers and one alternate for the upcoming election.

‰ Approved a motion to donate $250 to the Red Cross.

        

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