The Pike County Commission held a public hearing Monday night to receive input from county residents regarding the commission’s application for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).  The proposed grant would be for the paving of County Road 2256 south of Troy and Country Road 7749 north of Troy.

Resident Cornelia Wood expressed a need for the road improvements to County Road 7749. Wood said the patching of holes in the road is not working.

“I backed out of my drive one morning and hit a hole and knocked something out from under my car,” she said. “The road needs to be fixed.”

Mary McClure of McClure Town said not only is County Road 7749 in poor condition, it’s also an embarrassment when visitors come.
“We have family reunions and relatives come in fine cars and do you know how we feel?” she said. “We have a community church on road and there are 25 to 30 homes on the road, do you know how we feel?”

She asked the commissioners to seriously consider the plight of those who live on country road that are need of not just patching, paving.
Ashton Estes, ADECA director of Community and Economic Development, said the combined total cost of both paving projects would be $350,000. A survey would have to be conducted to determine whether at least 50 percent of the residents of the areas are low to moderate income, which is a requirement for the grant.

Following the public hearing, the County Commission went into its regular meeting with new and current business on the agenda.

County Engineer Russell Oliver said his department had no items that required action. However, Oliver did report that Pike County is included in a three-day field training program for the operators of motor graders, which is offered by the Association of County Commissioners of Alabama.

“The training class will be conducted this week on County Road 7724,” Oliver said. “We are proud to be the host site for this training program.”

Pike County EMA director Jeanna Barnes reported that Pike County’s new Smart911 system is alive. Barnes said the system is a one-stop shop for residents to enter information that could be crucial to first responders in emergency situations.

Signup for the service is free and voluntary and the amount of information each resident gives and receives from the 911 center is almost entirely up to each person.

Pike County Administrator Harry Sanders reported that the total Pike County portion for the PATS Program will now carry a price tag of about $97,000. Commissioner Russell Johnson asked the initial cost of the service. The cost was reported at $25,000.

The Commission voted in favor of an added position in the Revenue Commission office and also the creation of new job description.