Road superintendent asks for 20 mph signs on County Road 187 and highlights CDBG candidates for $500K grants

Heath Sexton of the county road department told the commission he had received a citizen complaint about dangerous conditions on County Road 187 near the Mineral Springs bottling plant and recommended posting 20 mph speed-limit signs at both ends of the paved section to improve safety.

"We took a look at it and found the pavement there is single lane, pretty much a 16 foot wide pavement... I'd like to post 20 miles per hour," Sexton said, and asked the commission to adopt a resolution that would authorize signage on the other end of the segment.

Sexton also briefed commissioners on potential Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) candidates for street improvements, identifying a dense development off County Road 155 (initially built by James Blackman) as a strong contender because of its high density of failing roads and a concentrated low-income population. He said grant-scoring favors areas where a high percentage of beneficiaries are low income and where 40–60 homes (or higher counts) benefit; he noted the grant pool for a single project can be up to $500,000 and that, with county match, the county typically seeks projects sized around $600,000–$700,000.

Commissioners discussed possible approaches, including full-depth reclamation with cement on heavily failed sections and different chip-seal techniques or top coats to improve adhesion on other stretches. Sexton cautioned that some spots have severe base failure and may require targeted full reconstruction rather than surface treatments.

No formal vote was recorded. Sexton said the grant writer favored public hearings next month to advance competitive projects, and commissioners asked staff to identify exact road numbers and return with additional recommendations.

The commission agreed to consider the signage resolution and scheduled follow-up discussion about precise project boundaries and whether sections require full-depth reclamation.