Rain delays repair projects
RED BAY – Persistent rainfall has delayed drainage and road repair projects in the city.
“You can’t dig when it’s mud,” Mayor Charlene Fancher said recently. “It’s no secret we’re having unusual rain, and we’re at the mercy of others, including Mother Nature.”
According to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Franklin County received more than 10 inches of rain in May, nearly double the 30-year average. Rain fell 19 out of 31 days, making it the third-wettest May on record locally.
Fancher said the drainage work on 10th Avenue, behind Fifth Court Apartments, is one of the projects impacted by the inclement weather. Repairs there, she explained, require engineering because of the site’s depth.
“This isn’t something where you can just go put dirt in a hole,” she said. “You’ve got to have a plan, measurements, the right kind of dirt — and someone to haul it. Everyone is behind.”
She also mentioned problems on 9th Street, behind the city’s softball fields. She identified that project as one of several “emergency streets” in need of resurfacing. However, a culvert issue at the bottom of the hill must be addressed first, she said.
“We don’t believe in putting a Band-Aid on projects,” she said. “We believe in fixing them correctly so we’re not back in this situation again next year.”
Fancher said the city is working on a long-term paving plan, but with asphalt prices nearly tripling over the past year, resurfacing projects have become more difficult to fund.
