Street committee recommends rumble strips and bids for speed-radar trailer after residents press for action

The Pryor Creek Street Committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the City Council pursue a concrete cut with rumble strips at the curve where North Elliot meets Clayton Road and to solicit bids for a portable speed-radar trailer to rotate around town.

Committee members said the moves respond to recurring resident complaints about high speeds near a sharp curve and a cluster of homes and apartments that include a school crossing. The committee’s formal recommendation asks council to approve the concrete-and-rumble-strip option described in the mayor’s packet and to authorize a bid process for a speed-radar trailer.

The recommendation followed more than an hour of discussion about six potential responses identified by the mayor and police chief: extra patrols, a stationary or “dummy” police car, center-line delineator posts, concrete cut-ins with rumble strips, additional signage and reduced posted speeds in the turn, and a portable speed-radar trailer. Committee members and residents repeatedly said enforcement alone had been intermittent and urged physical traffic-calming measures combined with enforcement.

Residents told the committee the problem persists. Chris (resident) said the effect was immediate after past road repairs: “the speed picks up exponentially from the curve to the east every time the street department fixes the roads.” Several residents said a visible police presence slowed drivers for a short time, but that officers were not consistently in the right place at peak times.

Buddy, the city’s street superintendent, described equipment and maintenance limits. He told the committee the city does not own the machine needed to mill rumble strips and said the city would either have to rent the machine or arrange for a contractor to do the cut and pour during a paving project. He also outlined where funding would likely come from: existing concrete and asphalt accounts and a separate FEMA/storm-recovery account.

Council members discussed cost and durability. The meeting record shows estimates discussed as follows: temporary center-line delineators at roughly $30–$40 each (about 20 units was listed as roughly $1,000 total), concrete cut-and-pour work priced in the packet at about $1.20 per square foot for the milling plus labor with a representative figure of $1,200 per 20-by-10-foot poured area, and a radar trailer cost estimate of about $10,000–$15,000 depending on model. Committee members cautioned these are preliminary figures and that a contractor estimate or state contract pricing will be needed before council approval.

Two formal committee motions about safety improvements were recorded. A motion recommending the concrete cut and rumble-strip option (option 4 in the mayor’s packet) passed on a 2–1 vote: Lamar — yes; Smith — no; Brashears — yes. A separate motion to advertise for bids on a speed-radar trailer passed (members present voted in favor at the time of the roll call). Committee leaders said the cost for the trailer would likely come from police capital or donations and noted the purchase may require a formal bid or use of a state contract.

Committee discussion emphasized tradeoffs. Members and staff noted that some traffic-calming devices (flexible delineators and surface-mounted plastic posts) are frequently damaged by larger vehicles and trailers through the semi-rural stretch; speed humps and some modular speed bumps raise concerns for snow plowing, emergency access and long-term replacement parts. Several speakers suggested treating this as a pilot: install measures at the problem curve first, then evaluate needs elsewhere.

The committee asked staff to pursue two follow-ups before the council meeting: a contractor estimate or confirmation of state-contract availability for the equipment to cut and install rumble strips, and bid specifications or a recommended purchase specification for the type of speed-radar trailer the city wants. Staff said they would attempt to contact the contractor working on the Highway 20 overlay to determine whether that contractor has the required milling machine and for a rental/change-order estimate.

The committee’s recommendations will be delivered to Pryor Creek’s City Council for final action; staff said timeline and budget details would be developed for the council packet.

Tally of formal actions recorded at the committee meeting: - Recommend council authorization for concrete cut and rumble strips (option 4): Passed 2–1 (Lamar — yes; Smith — no; Brashears — yes). - Recommend council solicit bids for a speed-radar trailer: Passed (vote recorded in favor during roll call).