You may have noticed Indianola’s pothole patching machine was out in full-force this week.
The machine, or its lack of use, has been a source of frustration for quite some time among citizens and members of the board of aldermen.
A perfect storm of supply shortages and equipment breakdowns had kept it idle for some time, but it’s back up and running, and the city crews are doing a good job of patching some much-needed holes, while keeping the impact for vehicles as smooth as possible.
There had been far too much neglect over the past year by the city when it came to combatting street decay, and while not all of that is in the rearview mirror, we seem to be heading in a much better direction.
There’s a $1.5 million street project coming later this summer and fall, which will see three major thoroughfares get much-needed overlay and/or repairs.
It is very expensive to pave streets. Only six, which do not require utility repairs, will be involved in this first round.
But more is coming down the line.
The city has about $4.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds that will be dedicated to fixing pumps, underground utility repairs and relocations and some overlay.
Indianola is also in the process of attempting to issue bonds that could total an additional $4 million. This money will go toward another round of repairs and overlays.
The city will also continue to receive large payments for local internet sales taxes each year, some of which will go toward paying for the bond.
All told, the city might invest as much as $8 million to $10 million in infrastructure and street repairs over the next two to three years.
That is if the city can get these projects bid and rolling.
In the meantime, the city has to keep as much pace as possible with our decaying pipes and pavement.
We should have all new sewer pumps by mid-to-late-summer.
A new street sweeper paid for by city funds and some from the $700,000 congressional appropriation, should help to keep debris out of our drainage system, which often cause problems with our pumps.
Citizens can do their part.
Make sure that when a contractor cuts down a tree in your yard, they have a plan to haul and dispose of the wood.
There are multiple yards with logs that have been sitting on the street corner for far too long.
When homeowners or landlords hire contractors to clean out homes between tenants, it is the responsibility of the homeowner or contractor to dispose of the waste. It should not be left on the street corner for the city or its contractor Arrow Disposal to pick up.
Please try to curb littering as much as possible in the city. There’s not much our city police force can do about this problem unless they witness it happening.
This is more a matter of the heart. Just wait until you are near a receptacle before throwing your trash away.
If we all work together, we can make Indianola beautiful and keep Indianola beautiful.
Kudos to the city workers who made patching the streets a priority this week.
A pat on the back as well to our civic organizations and city leaders who have led city-wide cleanups.
Let’s keep this momentum going into the summer.
