(Posted Aug. 25, 2020)
Andrew Garrett, Staff Writer
As students return to class, Mount Sterling village council members are reminding residents to be cautious on the roadways.
Becky Martin, council president pro-tem, stood in for Mayor Marci Darlington, who was out for a family emergency, at the Aug. 24 meeting. Martin made back-to-school traffic awareness a top priority at the meeting’s opening.
“The buses will be running. Traffic will be heavier and slower. You get behind those buses and we all get frustrated, but please slow down,” she said. “Please be patient. There’s nothing more valuable than the lives of our little ones.”
Martin underscored the comments by referring to an incident on Aug. 21 in which a teenage driver struck a 7-year-old girl in one of the village’s residential neighborhoods.
“Always be a defensive driver and slow down in those areas,” Martin said, “especially now that school is underway.”
Madison-Plains Local Schools will be returning to classes on Aug. 31.
Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy Jack Dill echoed Martin’s comments, stating that he would be in the village regularly with a radar, tracking speeding vehicles.
“I want to give a fair warning to drivers: I’m not going to be giving warnings. Everything is going to be a citation,” Dill said. “Mount Sterling villagers will need to mind their p’s and q’s.”
Martin and Dill both spoke of monitoring drivers entering and exiting the village at high rates of speed. Dill will be watching those areas.
Also at the Aug. 24 meeting, council announced the formation of a safety committee.
“The committee will encompass Block Watch, examining safety issues, traffic issues, policing, possible COVID issues and more,” Martin said.
The committee will include three council members: Becky Martin, Jay Pettey and Block Watch member David Timmons. Council also plans to include three community members on the committee.
In other action, council:
• accepted the 2021 estimated entitlement for the local government support fund;
• repealed a section of village code titled accessory structures; and
• passed an ordinance amending a section of code pertaining to general requirements for all districts.
The next regular Mount Sterling village council meeting is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 14.
