CROTHERSVILLE
The Crothersville Town Council recently took care of some unfinished business involving Main Street Circle.
A year ago, the council approved adding it to the street inventory and accepting the sewers.
The council gave town attorney Jeff Lorenzo approval to draft ordinances to post 15 mph speed limit signs and “No parking or standing; residential use only” signs.
But neither ordinance was put up for a vote, and signs have yet to be posted.
During a meeting earlier this month, the council asked Lorenzo to draft those ordinances so they can go through the proper readings and be put up for a vote.
While the speed limit is 20 mph on most town streets, the five council members and Police Chief Matt Browning agreed 15 mph was fast enough.
“I’ve driven around it at 20, and at 20, it feels like a lot,” Browning said.
Councilman Bob Lyttle said since there are no street lights, a lower speed is better.
The speed limit issue initially was brought up by Main Street Circle resident Jim Martin in October 2017. At that time, people lined up in their vehicles along the street to pick up children from Crothersville Elementary School.
Martin told the council that people speed in the area to get a spot in line, block driveways, turn around in driveways and leave trash and cigarette butts on people’s property.
When the housing addition was constructed, it was considered private property, so the street never was accepted by the town. Because of that, Lorenzo said the town was not responsible for maintenance and paving of the street, but speed limits could apply and be enforced.
According to the town ordinance, if there is no posted speed limit on a street, it’s enforced as 30 mph. Martin told the council that 30 mph is too fast for Main Street Circle.
Since people parked on the street to pick up kids at the school at the time, the council also proposed putting up “No parking” signs.
During the meeting earlier this month, town employee Chris Mains said there’s not much of a parking problem on the street now that the school changed its pickup location.
Still, though, the town had discussed making a “No parking” ordinance, so the signs need to be placed, he said.
“There are a few people who park on the street, mostly on the inside,” Mains said of residents who live on Main Street Circle.
“At one place back there, you can’t get through with two cars because they are parked on both sides,” Councilman Lenvel “Butch” Robinson said.
The council agreed to only place “No parking” signs on the outer part of the street.
“Let’s go with that in case the school ever changes their (pickup pattern), we’re protected,” Lyttle said.
The penalties will be $50 for a parking violation and between $75 and $125 for a speeding violation, depending on how much a motorist exceeds the posted speed limit.
Also, Street Superintendent Mike Deaton said there is no yield or stop sign where motorists loop around Main Street Circle and come to a T facing north. Traffic going east and west does not stop.
Lorenzo said he would include adding a stop sign there to the ordinance.