Some residents from the Seymour Drive neighborhood voiced their concerns over the planned construction and repair of the Indian Bayou crossing near where the street connects with Main.
Randy Randall and Richard Noble spoke on behalf of their neighbors during this past Monday’s meeting of the Indianola Board of Aldermen.
Randall began by stating that the purpose of their presentation was to present their views without any confrontational attitude. He mentioned that while 20 to 25 residents from the neighborhood could have been present at the meeting, they wanted to keep the presentation concise.
Randall highlighted five key points the group would like the city lawmakers to consider before constructing the crossing.
First, they questioned the need for the crossing and suggested that the funds allocated for the project could be better spent on other city needs, such as street repaving and other priorities
Second, Randall asked the board to keep in mind the history of Seymour Drive.
Randall says the street was built in the ‘50s and ‘60s to be a neighborhood street, but over the years, it has become heavily trafficked, with fast-food chains and warehouses in the area.
The residents feel that the reopening of the crossing would exacerbate those problems.
“What used to be a quiet, peaceful, diverse neighborhood,” Randall said, “We have gone now to dealing with a heavily-traveled street. We catch a lot of auto traffic, we catch pedestrian traffic, we catch littering. We catch 18-wheelers and heavy trucks going on the road.”
Third, Randall pointed out that repaving Seymour Drive was at the top of their wish list.
They questioned how long the road would sustain itself with the increased traffic patterns the crossing would bring back.
“I’m not Ron (Cassada), and I’m not an engineer, but I have to think if the city decides to go for it and spend money on the bridge, and then we pave the street at the top of a wish list, how long with (such a heavy) traffic pattern will that road sustain itself?” Randall questioned.
Randall stated that removing the crossing could positively impact the flow of the bayou.
He suggested that a cul-de-sac could be built instead, which could be used as a turnaround for emergency vehicles.
Retired attorney and resident of Seymour Drive Richard Noble even offered to donate private property for this purpose.
“If the city wants to consider that,” Randall said. “So, it wouldn’t just be a dead-end street. They would be up and able to go back out.”
Noble also offered Public Work Director Elvis Pernell a compliment on a job well done. Noble says Pernell responded quickly in determining the cause of a pipe leak in his area.
“I said we had to do something about it, and he did something about it. Somebody appreciates what you are doing,” Noble said to Pernell.
City Engineer Ron Cassada pointed out that the project was already underway, with the contractor mobilizing in two weeks. He added that abandoning the project now would lead to additional costs, as all the design work had been done, and materials had been ordered.
“There were lots of requests to fix it, and y’all finally decided to do it, and now they come out, but I understand them if I were down there too, I would not want all of that traffic and more traffic the more litter,” Cassada said.
Cassada understood that the situation is a “ double-edged sword” with also considering that Seymour Drive is a heavily used cut-through in the city.
“There are a lot of small cut-throughs in town. That’s just where people get used to driving,” Cassada said.
In response, Ward 3 Alderman Ruben Woods asked if they could get a petition signed, to which Mayor Ken Featherstone agreed.
While the outcome of the issue remains uncertain, the residents hope that their concerns will be taken into consideration by the city lawmakers.
