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Resident seeks update on Walker Road water work; mayor says three‑phase plan remains
Summary
Resident Mary Blankenship asked for progress on Walker Road water improvements at the April 11 Byron council meeting. Mayor Michael Chidester said the city still plans a three‑phase upgrade but grant funding has been uncertain; the EDA grant decision is pending and ARPA funds were not secured.
BYRON CITY — During public comment at the April 11 council meeting, resident Mary Blankenship asked for a status update on planned water improvements for the Walker Road area, saying she first raised the issue nearly a year ago.
"I had come to council almost a year ago with concerns for the Walker Road area and wanted to personally get answers," Blankenship said, asking what the next steps would be after earlier grant attempts were unsuccessful.
Mayor Michael Chidester responded that the city still plans to carry out the work in three phases and that the city had initially bundled parts of the project with grant applications in hopes of securing outside funding. Chidester said the ARPA grant the city had hoped to use did not come through. Public Works Director Tiffany Bibb noted that an EDA grant application remains pending and that it may take some time to learn whether Byron will receive that funding. The mayor said, given the uncertainty, the city intends to proceed with its three‑phase plan while awaiting grant decisions.
No new timeline or funding commitments were announced at the meeting. Blankenship’s inquiry and the mayor’s response were recorded in the minutes; council did not take a separate vote on Walker Road funding at the session.
