By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Robert Harris said work will continue on a dirt stretch of Brown Hill Road in Lowndesboro, which he said will be repaved.

Facebook fans of the Lowndes Signal voiced concerns about a stretch of Brown Hill Road, which The Lowndes Signal checked into and reported on last October.

Lowndes County Engineer David Butts said then (for the October article) the seven-tenth mile stretch of very rough road should be repaired and repaved in about a month.

The Lowndes County Highway Department removed the pavement and closed about a seven-tenth mile stretch of Brown Hill Road (Lowndes County 54) in the Lowndesboro area. Butts said at the time, the road should be fixed before cool weather sets in.

“Brown Hill has been torn up for three months. The county did this to fix the road and never came back to fix it. We called and were told it takes time and money to fix this. Well, they took the time to tear it up. So, why not at least grade it where it’s drivable. We pay county taxes to help the county not to give pay raises…” That was a post from Jason Goolsby on The Lowndes Signal facebook page that led to the October article.

Butts said when contacted for the October article, the project was not a county project, but rather one by Commission Chairman Robert Harris.

“ It’s not a county project, it’s a commissioner’s project.” Butts said at the time. “So, he went in there, and we took the asphalt off, and we’re going to dig out the bad areas, put some good material in, re-grade it and then pave it.”

However, Butts explained at the time because this is a commissioner’s project, “We’re only working on it on the days that we are in his (Harris’) district. So, that’s why it’s taking so long.”

In December, Ryan Crum of Lowndesboro posted on The Lowndes Signal website, “I’m wondering if you have an update on the condition of Brown Hill Road? Ya’ll did a report on October 2nd and the county said it should be completed in about a month. Well, it is now almost January and the condition has not changed. They should (have) never started the job if they didn’t intend on finishing it in a timely manner. The road is more unsafe now than it ever was before.”

When contacted on Monday, Jan. 2 about the road, Butts said, “As a matter of fact… we haven’t worked on it lately. We’ve had rain…” He said the county normally tried to work on roads in the spring, summer and fall, but “the final decision would be Commissioner Harris’. If he’s planning on working on it during the winter, we’ll work on it.”
When also contacted on Monday, Jan. 2, Harris said, during the winter months you have to keep the roadways driveable and clear and “wait on the weather until the opportune times come.”
However, he said of Brown Hill Road, “We are going to work on it every time we get an opportunity between now and the spring.”
He said torn up pavement section would be repaved. He said, “All dirt roads are bad during the wintertime… and that’s just the way that it is.”
He said he is hoping other commissioners will help move the project along faster. “We should be creating more opportune times.”
Harris said the road is not closed.