Residents driving down Highway 15 may want to slow down as Newton County crews will be working on a culvert at the American Legion Hut in Decatur.
The Newton County Board of Supervisors discussed the culvert Thursday with American Legion Post 89 Commander Johnny Reeves and agreed to help out. The current culvert, Reeves said, has a 90-degree angle in, which is directing water into the bank of the drainage ditch behind where the Newton County Veterans Memorial Park is scheduled to be built.
“The way it’s shooting water out, it’s just eating that far bank away,” he said. “For safety reasons, if we build a park there, someone’s going to fall off in there.”
Moving the culvert out slightly toward the road would get rid of the 90-degree turn and allow for water to run off down the drainage canal.
Reeves said the American Legion Post 89 met last Tuesday and approved having the culvert relocated. However, he said, they requested leaving the gate to the Legion Hut where it is.
“The on-ly suggestion they had was, if we could just leave the gate because it’s going to be a lot of work pulling it out,” he said.
After checking with Board Attorney Jason Mangum to make sure the county could help, the board agreed to take a look at the culvert and come up with a plan to solve the drainage issues.
“We’ll all talk and figure out how and when and what,” Board President Charles Godwin said.
Before beginning work, however, Mangum said the board and American Legion should sign a temporary construction agreement. There aren’t any legal restrictions preventing the county from helping, but county crews will have to enter private property. A temporary construction order, he said, would be a simple way to give the county authority to do the work and answer any questions residents might have.
