It’s Time For The City To Invest In Our Infrastructure
The sidewalk along Martin Street.
Dear Editor
My name is Marco Gooch. I went before the Water Valley Board of Aldermen on August 6, 2019, to express my concerns about the status of the streets and problems with the drainage system on Martin Street.
On Tuesday night I am on the agenda for the city meeting and will ask that the City of Water Valley invest money into our infrastructure to ensure public safety and quality of life for the residents of the City of Water Valley.
I will request that the City of Water Valley aldermen adopt a zoning and development ordinance requiring all city streets that connect to Main Street add or improve sidewalks on at least one side of the street.
This would make Martin Street safe for pedestrians to walk downtown.
The City of Water Valley commissioned a Comprehensive Plan for the city in August, 2006, with goals and aims for long-range (20 years) development. Former Mayor Donald Gray informed me that none of the new board members knew about this plan and had never seen it.
I find this hard to believe, because most of the improvements on Main Street, the mixed use of buildings on Main Street (example business and residential) and finding a use for the Big Yank Building in the city have come from this plan.
On pages nine and 16, the plan talks about recommendations and action for the city to take regarding sidewalks. Martin Street has no sidewalk on either side of the street and it’s not safe to walk to Main Street due to the nature of the drainage ditches and narrow street with the high volume of traffic.
Martin Street also has trees that need to be trimmed back that are over the power lines. Residents who live on Martin Street are being overtaken by kudzu that is coming from the abandoned city dump and abandoned property on Wood Street.
We should stand together as neighbors, residents and citizens of the City of Water Valley and hold our elected officials accountable for how our neighborhoods look. I will ask that every member of the Board of Aldermen take some time and walk through the neighborhoods of our city and see if they can say that they’re happy and proud of how some areas of the city look.
We cannot change the past, but we can choose to make things better for the future for the citizens of Water Valley.
I ask that all residents with concerns about how your neighborhood looks and who have problems or issues with the city to make them known to our elected city officials.
I ask that Mayor Reynolds and the Board of Aldermen look for ways to invest in our neighborhoods and improve our community.
Marco Gooch
Martin Street
