Debbie Beasley
Robbinsville – Safety was at the forefront of a 2-0 vote by the Town of Robbinsville Board of Aldermen at its Aug. 6 meeting, as recently-detached speed humps will be placed back on Atoah, Circle and Ford streets.
Town maintenance had removed some of the humps as a precaution, due to the anchors used to install each into the asphalt coming loose. Following the removal of each, alderwoman Debbie Beasley and alderman Kenneth Hyde both reported complaints from residents living on the heavily-used corridors.
"It raised a big discussion for a few days," Hyde said Aug. 6. "A bunch of people called me and I didn't know what to tell them."
"If the residents in the area want them put back down, I think we need to put them back down," Beasley added. "Maybe in a different place, if that will help keep them secure."
Hyde noted that five citizens on Ford Street had reached out for answers following the removal. Ford Street first received speed "humps" – which differ from bumps, as humps are constructed for a slower speed reduction and bumps are designed for a quicker depletion in acceleration – in early 2022. The humps were later placed on Atoah and Circle streets; each set cost the town $1,000.
"Ford Street was a major concern, because there are kids that play near the road," said Hyde.
Mayor Shaun Adams later pointed out that the speed humps themselves were well-conditioned and simply need to be re-anchored.
CodeRED dispute
Adams also questioned the town's emergency notification system not being utilized as it should during Aug. 6's meeting.
CodeRED is an emergency notification system catered to local governments, as a way to get alerts out to residents. The Town of Robbinsville has paid for the service as a way to notify water and sewer customers of outages.
Town employee Chadd Carpenter was designated last year to manage the system and – while not present for the meeting – later told The Graham Star that he had reports indicating that he had attempted to utilize the system within the past year, but was unsuccessful and would need to work with CodeRED to get the matter resolved.