Blame and praise at City Council


There were several appearances by residents at the Henderson city council meeting on Monday evening.

Iris Castellon-Dethmers appeared before the council to request that it act on a petition to reduce the speed limit in the Old West End section of the city. Castellon-Dethmers is the current president of the Old West End Neighborhood Association and a resident of 224 W. Belle Street.

According to Castellon-Dethmers, a petition was sent by the association to the City Council one and one-half years ago and it has yet to be acted upon. Castellon-Dethmers stated that she was happy that a traffic analysis had been done, but also added that amount of time was too long to wait.

“It is not reasonable,” Castellon-Dethmers told the council.

The association president informed the council that motorists use the neighborhood to cut through to Corbitt and Dabney. She reported that there have been accidents and near-accidents with children and pets.

“Belle Street is a racing course,” Castellon-Dethmers argued to the council.

The association is requesting that the speed limit on several streets in the West End area be reduced to 25 miles per hour. The speed limit in Henderson is 35 miles per hour unless otherwise posted.

Castellon-Dethmers requested a timeline from the council for a resolution to the issue.

Henderson Mayor Clem Seifert informed the association president that the traffic analysis done at the time the petition was received had revealed that the average speed on Belle Street was 27 miles per hour in one direction and 26 in the other.

Council member Lonnie Davis stated that a meeting could be scheduled regarding the petition. He informed Castellon-Dethmers and the council that the matter had been discussed, but the reduced speed limit would have to be posted.

Davis chairs the Public Safety Committee.

Castellon-Dethmers said that she had heard several times that the speed limit would have to be posted. She noted to the council that the “other street” had been posted.

“That’s a responsibility of the city,” Castellon-Dethmers stated.

Roanoke Avenue recently had stop signs installed as a traffic calming measure for motorists travelling from Dabney Drive to Beckford Drive.

Council member Mary Emma Evans addressed Castellon-Dethmers, telling her that she did not think it was a complicated issue. She assured the association president that the council would get her an answer.

In other appearances by residents:

* Dave Stallings of 906 Abbott Street appeared before the council and thanked each member by name for the service they perform. Stallings informed the council that he has served for 32 years on the Zoning Committee and in that time has missed only five meetings.

Seifert thanked Stallings and told him, “The city runs on people like you.”

* Former candidate for city council Sara Coffey appeared before the council regarding an underground storage tank in her neighborhood. The tank was in a neighbor’s yard and was leaking fuel, contaminating the soil and causing an unpleasant smell in Coffey’s house.

She has appeared before the council on a previous occasion regarding the issue.

Coffey advised the council that she had contacted the state regarding the problem. A state employee came to the site and informed her that it would cost $5,000 to check out the problem and that removal of the tank would be much more. Unsatisfied with the result of the contact, she contacted Cary Environmental. She was informed by an employee of that business that a state trust existed that would pay for removal under certain conditions. She further informed the council that the company removed her neighbor’s tank and several others in the neighborhood and will remove hers in the near future.

Coffey told the council that she had brought the matter to its attention so that others might take advantage of the state trust while it is still solvent.

Evans inquired whether or not it would be proper for the city to send a thank-you letter to Cary Environmental. Seifert replied that he was not sure, but that the state needed to be contacted by the city regarding Coffey’s negative experience.

* Henrietta Clark addressed the council and began by saying, “I have some good news for you.”

Clark informed the council that at last week’s ABC Board meeting the city had been issued a check for $2,008. She requested that the council allocate part or all of the money to the Henderson Appearance Commission. She told the council that the commission has no money for beautification.

Seifert inquired of Clark where the money had come from. She answered that it represented three years of accumulated profit.

Seifert stated that it would be appropriate to review Clark’s budget request. Evans stated emphatically that the council did not want to turn Clark down.

It was determined that the FAIR Committee would take up the request at its December 5 meeting.