Martinsville board asks police to study Burton Lane intersection, approves sewer adjustments and claims

Martinsville's Board of Works and Safety on March 23 voted to ask the police department to perform a standard traffic study of the Burton Lane/Jordan Road intersection and directed staff to return the item to the April 13 agenda for a decision.

The request followed a resident's complaint and a board discussion about whether to restore prior signage at a spot where Burton Lane crosses Indian Creek, wraps into Jordan Road and connects with a spur from Old 37. Board members said the intersection had been converted to a three-way stop during nearby construction and that removing stop signs now could create confusion or safety hazards.

One board member described the trade-off between driver convenience and liability and said the police department should assess safety and recommend whether signage should be changed. The board then motioned, seconded and approved a request that an officer perform a standard study and report back; the item was scheduled for follow-up at the board's April 13 meeting.

The board also approved routine business including payment of claims and six sewer adjustment applications. The sewer adjustments listed by staff included: 260 West Garfield, $25.90; 788 South Harriet Street, $4,654; 629 South Jefferson Street, $95,823; 760 East Harrison Street, $123.86; 215 Martin Avenue, $5,153.71; and 5 to 40 South Drive, $15,414.90. A board member noted that some requests were first-time incidents while others were carryovers; one large adjustment reflected a replacement of a water line that had allowed water into a business foundation.

Mr. Porter moved to approve the claims and the adjustments as presented; the motions were seconded and passed by voice vote. The board announced it will revisit the Burton Lane signage after the police report at its next regular meeting on April 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers.