Potholes can be caused by a number of factors, and one Indianola alderman says poor drainage is making Indianola’s problems with potholes worse.
“The pothole situation is due to poor drainage” said Ward 5 Alderman Sam Brock, Jr. during Tuesday’s meeting of the board of aldermen.
Brock and Ward 3 Alderman Ruben Woods asked for a discussion of potholes in the city and focused on the asphalt paving machine that the city owns but apparently is not being used.
“We don’t have a truck that can pull it when it’s fully loaded with asphalt,” Public Works Director Elvis Pernell told the board “The public works department had an F-250, but it has a blown motor.”
A small to average asphalt paver weighs in at anywhere from 7,500 to 12,500 pounds.
Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi said he saw a backhoe riding up and down 82, with buckets full of asphalt, and suggested, “It was because they didn’t want to load asphalt onto the trailer and then have to shovel it off.”
Pernell asked Fratesi if he saw what kind of truck was pulling that trailer.
It was suggested it may have been a Ford Ranger.
According to Pernell, even if the city had a truck capable of pulling the load, he just doesn't have the manpower to run a dedicated road crew.
To take the pothole problem one step further from his door, Pernell said he's been trying to order asphalt for four weeks, and he couldn't get any.
Brock suggested that because of the leaf-clogged drains, the water is running under all of the new work the city has been doing, “Washing it all away,” Brock said.
Fratesi returned to the backhoe being used to transport asphalt saying, “The trailer is a lot cheaper than that $80,000 backhoe.”
Pernell returned to his stance on the issue by reminding Fratesi that there was no truck to pull it.
The mayor said, “Alright, it looks like we’re not going to have any board action needed on this, so let’s move on.”
