Will Miller, a representative from Norfolk Southern Railroad, addressed the Scottsboro City Council at their last work session concerning the closing of the Broad Street railroad crossing.  He explained that safety is their biggest issue. “If North Broad Street crossing is closed I can guarantee you no one will ever get hurt there in a vehicle accident, a truck accident, ever again. That is truly the only way that we can without a doubt improve safety in the community. We look to reduce risk by reducing exposure.”
The railroad company is offering safety upgrades to the Market Street crossing if the city chooses to close the crossing on North Broad Street. The safety upgrades will include lights, bells and gates that will be maintained for the lifespan of the equipment, which is usually around 30 years.

Howard Hill, Chairman of the Jackson County Voter’sLeague, spoke on behalf of community members who are still unconvinced that the closing is in their best interest. He said that during a community meeting they all agreed that the crossing needs to be safe, but that they need more ways out of the community instead of less. “We want to know that there’s a way out in case of a spill of hazardous materials and at this point we don’t feel like we have that. We don’t want to be locked in; we want to have as many ways out of our community as possible.”

Mr. Hill asked the city council to look at the situation as if they lived in the community themselves. He then presented them with a five day old petition with 332 names of people who are concerned about this situation and do not think it’s the right thing to do.

The council also heard from Steve Deerman, a resident from the Driftwood Shores area. He requested that the council contribute funds to help the 19 residents of Driftwood Shores with weed spraying expenses. The cost of the project is $15,600 and the weed treatment would cover around 13 acres. Mr. Deerman said that he also requested money from the Legislative Delegation, but had not received an answer. 

The plan is that each party would pay one-third of the cost. This request for weed control funds comes just two months after the city council contributed $50,000 to the Roseberry Rescue Group’s project. Council member Matthew Hodges said “I think it’s going to become more and more difficult to fund these projects. We can’t continue to pour funds into it without looking at a long term solution.”

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