Residents urge crosswalk safety improvements and faster La Luz drainage fixes during public comment

During public comment, two residents asked the City Commission for safety and drainage improvements in different neighborhoods. Christine Duncan, a teacher at North Elementary who lives at 14th and Bridal, said children and other pedestrians now use a crosswalk to the school playground more frequently and described motorists — including two city police vehicles on one occasion — who did not stop for pedestrians when the crosswalk signal was not active. She asked the city to refresh crosswalk paint and consider an activated-LED crosswalk system similar to another location near the library that lights when a pedestrian pushes a button. Sherry Moore, president of the La Luz Water Association and a Benito resident, said runoff behind the Quintus property and on Valley View has cut the road down and that recent storm flows delivered more than an inch of water across land behind a recently approved Dollar General site. Moore said she has been in contact with county officials and wanted the city’s drainage culvert/ditch project timeline. City staff told her the drainage project tied to Valley View/La Luz was expected to be completed within weeks and that the contractor’s design had been coordinated with Dollar General engineers so on-site road work would tie into the city project. Staff offered to follow up directly with the resident and to provide project contact details. Neither public comment item required formal action, and staff said they had already been in contact with one commenter and would provide follow-up information.