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Staff member reports paving delays after lead operator falls ill
Summary
At its July meeting the Coffee County Commission heard a report from staff about road maintenance: crews are in a second mowing round, paving has slowed after a lead operator became ill, equipment parts are scarce for older machinery, and commissioners flagged multiple rough spots for repair.
A staff member told the Coffee County Commission at its July meeting that county road crews are into a second round of mowing and continuing patching work, but paving operations have slowed after the county's long-time lead paver operator became ill.
"I think we're well into our second round in on our mowing schedule," the Staff member said, adding that the county expected crews to resume full paving work after the July 4th break. The speaker identified the lead operator as Ronnie Blackburn and said Travis will serve as acting lead while new operators are trained.
The staff report described a string of equipment problems slowing work: an older paver (a model described as a 945) has scarce parts, the paver's drive wheels required replacement after a wheel failure, and crews had to improvise with rings and tubes to keep machines operating. "We got the drive wheels…they put the hole for the valve stem in the wrong spot," the Staff member said, illustrating the difficulty of repairing aging machines.
Commissioners and participants raised several localized road-condition complaints. One commissioner described a 10–15-foot rough section immediately after a railroad crossing on Summitville on the route toward Pokehness; staff said it appeared to be patch-on-top-of-patch deterioration and agreed to inspect the location. Another commissioner asked staff to check rough stretches near Oscar Crow and by a local cemetery; staff acknowledged multiple cemetery-adjacent spots to review.
The commission also discussed potholes near an older Primitive Baptist church and a camper area, urging crews to address two large, hazardous holes there. Staff noted additional work following storm-related tree removal and emphasized that state crews — not county crews — maintain State Route 127, while county-maintained roads around Coffee County had been serviced twice recently.
There were no substantive policy votes or ordinances tied to the report; the meeting's formal business was procedural: the commission approved the agenda and last month's minutes by voice vote and set the next meeting for Aug. 5 at 3:00 p.m. at the administrative plaza. The meeting adjourned after a voice vote.
The county did not provide specific timelines for repaving the named crossings or a firm budget estimate for immediate repairs during the meeting; staff said they would inspect flagged locations and follow up.
