Grayville Council Approves New Resident Attraction Program Ordinance; Mayor Pro Tem Takes Stand on Crosswalks

With Mayor Travis Thompson absent, Commissioner Andi Ford stepped up as Mayor Pro Tem Monday night at the Grayville Council meeting and just 17 minutes later, the meeting adjourned for the night.  While brief, the board did get some business accomplished.

The treasurer’s report revealed just under $3.1 million in assets.  The city is down to just over $44,000 in cash available for operation however.

Ford also addressed the delay in crosswalks, blaming the state and openly saying she had no problem taking matters into her own hands ahead of the Grayville Community Arts Council’s Kids Camp next week.

Just for public safety, just putting the crosswalk lines back would help a great deal because, when people stop…IF people stop at the four way, and that’s a big if…if they do, they’re not knowing to stop back far enough where people can cross there at the sidewalk.  They’re going up to the actual intersection.  It happened last year where kids had to walk around almost in the intersection to get around a car.  It limits the visibility of the people who are crossing there and from vehicles coming from other directions.

She says it’s not just about Arts Camp as people park at the church and then go shop downtown, the Hog Roast is coming up which will have people crossing the intersection, and summer activities in general are ramping up.  She says it’s indefensible that Grayville be treated as inferior to other projects by IDOT.

Basically, my opinion right now is we’re not second class citizens here.  Grayville is just as important as any other community that pays taxes and utilizes Route 1.  There’s no reason for the safety of our citizens to be compromised by not having the crosswalk lines there.  I’m basically saying that if it’s not done by this week, I’m going to be doing it myself.  I’m sure that’s probably illegal because it’s probably defamation of state property, but I do have an inverted paint striper and I could go in the middle of the night and make sure it’s striped.  I’m being completely honest and I’ll take any kind of punishment that comes my way.  I have over 100 people next week that I’m in charge of their safety and being the health and safety officer for the city of Grayville, I think I pretty much should be lobbying for anybody else that tries to cross that street.

Council also officially put into place it’s new Residential Attraction Program following the second reading of Ordinance 953.  Details on the new ordinance are below:

Finally, Council approved a study which commissioners hope will lead to an expansion of the Veteran’s Memorial at Oak Grove Cemetery.

Council adjourned at 7:17pm and will next gather on June 24^th.