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Potholes And Promises

By Tiffany Craig Special Assignment Reporter

M30o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Potholes And Promises

Published: Wed, March 26, 2008 - 6:47 pm
Last Updated: Wed, April 16, 2008 - 10:07 pm

Tiffany Craig

People in the Grand Farms subdivision of Grand Bay say enough is enough.

Neighbors say that a 17-year old boy died last November after his gun accidentally went off. They say he bled to death because the ambulance couldn't get down their pothole riddled private road in time.

As if that's not enough, the mail service is now gone and the school bus doesn't roll down the road either. Garbage service is next on the list of services set to be cut off.

Emergency vehicles won't even turn into the Grand Farms Subdivision because the roads are too bad. Angela Jones says she just hopes no one in her family ever gets sick. "You're never at ease whether or not your home's catch on fire or if you have an emergency needing the sheriff's department."

Desperate, the neighbors banded together and organized a community meeting in February. They invited local and state leaders from the area and plenty of residents showed up.

Commissioner Mike Dean tells the people with confidence, "You're making history because when we take on private roads it's forever. We are all in this together I would love to be able to that's what I do is build roads and maintain roads. I have to have the legal authority to do that on a private road."

Angela got Commissioner Dean on the phone last week and his tone was a little different. "There's not another commissioner's gonna help you more than me. A new commissioner will put you back another 2 or 3 years."

Grand Farms neighbor Dacey Green says it's late March and nothing's changed. "Yeah, he's gonna help us. He comes out here gives this wonderful speech. I'm gonna be there for ya. We're gonna make history today. I haven't seen no history. What has he done? What has he done for us? Nothing."

Tiffany Craig found Commissioner Dean downtown and asked him, "Why did you tell those people that you were going to try and help?" He responded, "because I do that everywhere I go instead of telling people no. That's the mistake I make by not telling people no up front. It's illegal and I can't do it."

Tiffany also asked, "You did sound very confident when you were talking to those people in February. Were you trying to buy their votes? Dean's response was this. "I was trying to make something happen. I wasn't even campaigning then."

Dean admits that the county has no legal right to work on private roads and hopes the state can come up with the answer.

That answer could come in a piece of legislation that was just introduced by Representative Spencer Collier. It would allow the county to do maintenace on private roads with 911 addresses.

Dean says as long as it comes with its own funding, he's all for it.

Angela and Dacey showed us documents that they say proves their private road was built by 1979. They say the law changed in the mid-80's that stopped the county from working on private roads. Since their road was built before the law, they say it's grandfathered in.

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YA he is all for it my BUTT. He wants more money to spend on himself an get bigger. Sorry that is how i feel. I hate liars. I have talked to a bunch of people in the grand bay area and they say that dont want mike dean in for another 4 yrs. As a tax payer in the county I think we dont need liars in office. An dhe just lost his nexted four in office by getting n the news and saying he has lied to alot of people promisng them help an not doing anything. He thinks that he is going to get more funding for this i dont think so where does all the money go that he gets for roads and bridges. I looked up the budget and it looks to me that he gets $12,683,390 in a budget for roads. I was going by Brietling Elemetary the other day and saw 4 road crew trucks parked and the men where looking at some truck some man had fro sale there. It was around 2 pm what were they doing using our tax money that we pay to look at a truck. Not one of them was doing anything. Our tax money hard at work!!

Posted by kjjmbf on 03/27/08 - 12:14 pm • Report Abuse .

I would like to thank Spencer Collier for being a man of his word and appreciate any further help he can give us in this matter. This is a situation that as you have seen means life or death for many people in this community. Emergency vehicles, Mail delivery, and School Bus Safety these are essential services that most citizens take for granted and should be able to. In our family of people in this neighborhood we have many disabled individuals who are not able to go do the post office for thier monthly living expenses or wait an hour for an ambulance should something go wrong. Many of them cant get home health care providers to come to their homes because of these roads. We in the community provide what assistance we can but should these people be denied the rights every American takes for granted. We live in a great county full of wonderful people and prosperity that is growing by leaps and bounds surely they can take some of this and help us with our roads. People as why we don’t just move, this is our home, our lives our here, I personally have lives here 20 years and raised 4 children here. Survived many hurricanes, have some wonderful neighbors who are also family and friends of mine. We have 20 years of love, laughter and tears invested in our property so why would we move now. We have been through many vehicles and have constant trouble with them thanks to the condition of the roads. I am positive that we are not the only community in mobile county with this particular problem and I am also sure that Mobile County has the money to help us solve our problems. Please wont those of you that can help us fix our roads and restore the services others take for granted. Our disabled could rest easier knowing they could get an ambulance or their monthly income and our parents could breathe a little easier about their children catching the school bus. Please embrace our community and others like it Sincerely Virginia Easterling Grand Farms

Posted by AliBama on 03/26/08 - 8:25 pm • Report Abuse .

That is sad and I can understand why people in that area are so angry. Dean is apparently just the typical politician that will say anything to get a vote and then tell those same people he is just not good at saying no. lol

Would that excuse work for any of the rest of us? Or, would we be called liars?

Posted by BamaBob on 03/26/08 - 7:45 pm • Report Abuse .

I can’t believe he has lied to all of us. He will not be in office next year. He lied to everyone including Collier and the other man that was there. That dont look good on his part. Well i hope everyone that saw that calls him and tells him he is nothing but a lier. I I was there at that meeting and him and the county lawyer said our road could be grandfathered in because it was here before 1984. But he aint doing nthing to help us. there are 200 family’s living in this subdivision and they are very mad. Well he needs to get of his but and do what he says if he wants to keep his job. This aint over it is just beginning. I am going to call him tomrrow and tell him what i think of him lying to my face. I hope everyone else does to. We also need to contact our reps and tell them what he said. I will have my voice heard and i will make dam sure it is heard and so wont alot of people on this road will too

Posted by kjjmbf on 03/26/08 - 6:37 pm • Report Abuse .