Pedestrian safety, museum revitalization top Chambers County Commission discussion

BY KADIE TAYLOR

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

CHAMBERS COUNTY — The Chambers County Commission held a meeting on Dec. 8 to discuss regular business and hear two public comments.

Citizen Randy Talley expressed concern over the lack of signage and driver respect for the pedestrian crossing on 1st Street Southeast. He said he believes the combination of issues poses a danger for those utilizing the crosswalk.

“Some drivers stop while others do not,” he said. “Therefore, when pedestrians are crossing the street, some pedestrians assume that the vehicles will yield, [but the vehicles do] not always [do so]. The commission is once again asked to contact the city regarding this issue and have them install crossing signs during court time. This is a very dangerous situation out here; it's amazing, you have vehicles who do not slow down, they do not give right-a-way to pedestrians whatsoever.”

Talley also said he requests that the courthouse have its own Christmas decorating committee.

“The request is that the courthouse would have its own holiday decorating committee under the leadership of Jamie Yates; the committee, not the city, would be responsible for the decorating of the interior and exterior of the courthouse and grounds,” he said. “Donations would be sought by individual members. The commission, as well as outside donors — the employees, as well as the public should be able to enjoy the holidays with facilities being adorned by holiday decorations.”

LaFayette Fire Chief Jim Doody said he would like to find out more about the intentions of the county regarding the Train Depot Museum and the Agricultural Museum and expressed his belief that revitalizing the museums would be good for the LaFayette community by bringing in visitors and providing a space for local education.

“There is a lot of rich, rich history inside those museums that is just falling away,” he said. “There's no power out there. I've been approached by countless individuals that are willing to step up and re-ignite the 501(c)(3). [The] Alabama State Museum curator has already offered a letter of support to us. There is grant money out there with our name on it waiting to be taken, excess of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually that we can go and possibly tap into to get these museums revitalized and turn them into something more profitable for us as [far as] tourism events.”

In Other Business

• The commission voted to approve the minutes and warrants payable for Nov. 17, 2025.

• The commission approved the agenda for the Dec. 8 Commission meeting as presented.

• The commission voted to authorize the use of the courthouse bathrooms for Christmas on the Square, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, from 4 to 8 p.m. — conditioned upon adequate supervision being afforded to the event. If that is not accomplished on or before the close of business on Tuesday, Dec. 9, then County Manager Regina Chambers will notify the committee that they will have to seek porta-potties.

• The commission voted to approve the Liability Coverage Renewal for fiscal year 2026.

• The commission approved the resolution to set new licensing fees.

• The commission approved the proposed road vacation for County Road 40 as referenced in a proposed petition.

• The commission voted to execute the federal funding agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation to cover the financing of Project HRRR-0926, CCP 09-08-26, the safety improvements on County Road 83 and CR 299 North to CR 292.

• The commission approved to award Inquiry No. 1724, Bridge Maintenance and Repair Bid, to GW Norrell Contracting Co. Inc.

• The commission voted to approve the Proposed Subdivision Plat for the Ann G. Baxter Family Division.

• The commission approved the Proposed Subdivision Plat for the River Ridge Subdivision.

• The commission approved the Proposed Subdivision Plat for the Ben Brown Road Subdivision.

Announcements

• The next Chambers County Commission meeting will be held on Dec. 22 at 4 p.m. Following the meeting, there will be a recognition of Rep. Debbie Wood and her contributions to Chambers County.

• A Planning and Development meeting will be held on Dec. 22 at 2 p.m.

• There will be a Rules, Ways and Means meeting on Jan. 7 at 8 a.m. at Attorney Skip McCoy’s office.