Wartrace bumps to slow speeders

Wartrace Mayor Don Gallagher and Alderman Thomas Hurt look over the proposed Wartrace Planning Region. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Speeders on West Bridge Street in Wartrace, consider this fair warning. The town is about to install speed bumps.

"There's a 'Children at Play' sign there, but people are ignoring it," said Wartrace resident Kelly Thompson, who approached the board of mayor and aldermen at the May meeting Monday night.

Thompson said there were several children living in the neighborhood who were "coming up in age" to the point they would be playing outside more often. The high speed he sees from travelers concerns him about the children's safety.

"I stopped one of them when he came back through," said Thompson. "He told me there wasn't a speed limit sign, so how was he supposed to know?"

The road is also dangerous at high speeds because of its size, he said.

"It's so narrow, you've got to pull over in somebody's yard to pass," he said.

The board agreed to have two speed bumps installed.

"That's enough to slow them down and not let them build up a lot of speed," Thompson said.

Regional planning

The board approved a resolution to submit a request to establish a Wartrace planning region. The resolution, which also identifies the Wartrace Planning Commission as the Wartrace Regional Planning Commission, is being done to give the town more control over development within its urban growth boundary, said Mayor Don Gallagher, especially with the county's current push to update UGBs and planning regions.

"The county's revising its UGB," he said. "I think ours is fine. I don't think we need to change our lines."

But with regional planning status, Wartrace would have the right to enforce its subdivision regulations on any new developments outside of city limits but within the UGB, he said.

Now that the resolution has passed, Gallagher said, it would go to the county, which will then have to approve the town's regional planning status.

Waterworks

Curl Construction was awarded the bid for the sewer line replacement on Sunset and Smart streets, where the lines have become clogged or damaged. The winning bid was $62,748. Another bid will have to be let soon, said Brian Smith, the water and sewer department head. He reported a water loss of more than 30 percent last month and said his crew has not been able to find the leak. Looking at records, Smith said he found the name of a company that specialized in finding leaks and suggested having the same thing done.

"It doesn't take long (to bid out)," said Gallagher. "Robert (Stigall, town engineer) has a list."

Gallagher also notified the board that the water line project on Lee Road was complete and the work on Haley Road was 50 percent complete, largely held up because of the weather. He anticipated that job to be finished by the end of the month.

Weather and funding have also contributed to pushing back the Tullahoma Utilities Board connection date, he said, which is now estimated to be in October.