The Marion County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday was mostly quiet until a citizen came before the board to talk about road repairs.
Delores P. Porter, who had first come on Aug. 5 to discuss roads, once again approached county officials about what she said is lack of work being done, especially in District 1 around the Improve area including Russell Road, Lee Lane, Gates Road, Christian Union Road and First Hopewell Road.
“Our communities, which are mostly black-African communities, most of the roads which are really bad are in our communities,” Porter said.
“I’ve seen some of your workers working without safety devices or caution signs. I have seen city workers doing the same things, getting off trucks with no safety vests,” she said.
She said people have busted tires and bent rims from driving on the roads.
“I’m here again as the voice for the people with more and more petitions wanting better roads,” Porter said.
Porter mentioned how money was set aside for Harmony Road. Board President Terry Broome said the work on Harmony Road was so important because of the work being done on Airport Road and the relocation of the roadway. That’s a more than $10 million federally funded project to expand the airport runway that officials have said is intended to help with economic development because it will allow better access for the jets that many corporate leaders use. Harmony Road will be a main road once the Airport Road Extension is permanently closed.
“We had to redo Harmony and bring it up to more or less state aid standards because that is going to be the main flow of traffic coming from Airport Road,” Broome said.
Broome also said the foundation of Harmony Road was completely deteriorated, so the road had to be rebuilt from the foundation up. Broome said this work was done through District 2 funds.
“I don’t even want to build a house here because the road conditions; it will have no value,” Porter said.
District 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom spoke, “Each district is allotted so many dollars per year. That county supervisor manages its money and addresses what’s most critical. What I am saying to you is that this board does not determine that.”
Porter also asked about Gates Road, which is a State Aid road.
Broome explained that money for State Aid roads is appropriated one time at the beginning of each term. A new term will not begin until January 2020.
“State Aid roads is a partnership and what happens it is a one time and that is a small amount of money every four years,” Newsom said.
At the beginning of Porter speaking, District 1 Supervisor Randy Dyess walked out of the room and did not return while Porter was speaking.
“There are other means to generate money. Put your heads together and come up with a plan and don’t be making promises that you know you can’t keep to your people,” Porter said.
“The only promise I made when I got elected and that’s the promise I make now: I do the best I can with the resources available to me,” Newsom said.
“That’s because in your beat, you have no complaints. The people love you,” Porter responded back.
Broome started to speak but Porter cut him off saying she hadn’t heard anything negative about him.
“Then why wasn’t I re-elected?” Broome said. “Redoing Harmony Road was one of the reasons I lost the election. Standing up for the airport expansion is why I lost the election. The new part of Airport Road is why I lost the election. Redoing North Park is why I lost the election. If I had to redo it all over again, those roads would be just like they were before I ever touched them,” Broome said.
Broome, a two-term incumbent, lost in the Republican primary runoff on Aug. 27 to John Moree. Moree doesn’t have an opponent in the general election.
“If I had another term I wouldn’t fix a road in District 2, not one road. It was not appreciated,” Broome said.
“I’m out of here come Dec. 31. I did the best I could, and it wasn’t appreciated not one little bit.” Broome added. “I hope the fellow that is coming in will hold his promises.”
Pictured Above: Marion County resident Delores P. Porter addressed the Board of Supervisors Tuesday about the road conditions in District 1. She said the roads are so bad they have busted tires and bent rims. | Photo by Susan Amundson
