By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
City of Atmore officials are moving forward with the preliminary work of an announced $2.63 million street resurfacing project that will put new blacktop on all or part of 21 city streets, although officials know a financial speed bump is probably waiting at the end of the prep work.
Engineers with Civil Southeast have already begun surveying the involved streets, especially those located in drainage sensitive areas, and performing other tasks in advance of the project’s onset and have begun drawing against the $234,800 the Andalusia-based firm will be paid for its work.
“The engineers are getting it all together,” City Clerk Becca Smith said. “They are almost done with the preliminary work but had to make some necessary changes.”
Once the engineers are through with their work, officials will still have to wait before proceeding with the project until the city’s financial audit for Fiscal Year 2021 is completed by local Certified Public Accounting firm Waller, Crook and Jones.
Chris Walker, who served three terms on the city council, was hired in April as the city’s economic adviser and grant writer. He said access to the most viable financing options open to the city will remain on hold until the financial analysis is finished, and city officials have it in hand.
“We need the audit to know what’s affordable to us,” Walker said. “Our bond person won’t give us quotes unless we have the audits for the past three years. Our bank is the same way; they’ve got to have the audit so they can do a debt service coverage analysis.”
According to a person who answered the phone at the CPA firm, partner Mitch Jones, who is in charge of the examination of city books, was not in his office Monday afternoon (November 7). Jones had not returned by Tuesday’s press deadline a telephoned request for comment on the audit.
The resurfacing project will cover six streets in the city’s northeastern quadrant, six in its northwestern sector, five in the southeastern sector and four in the southwestern quadrant.
The streets, along with the area of the resurfacing and the anticipated cost of each, are:
McRae St.
(Medical Park Drive to Davis Drive)
$48,895
14th Ave.
(Old Bratt Road to Dead End)
$25,900
S. Carney St.
(W. Nashville to W. Poplar)
$164,269
S. Trammell St.
(W. Nashville to W. Pine)
$213,913
W. Horner St.
(Diamond to Tatum & S. Carney to S. Main)
$62,855
E. Horner St.
(S. Main to 14th Ave.)
$294,190
6th Ave.
(E. Craig to E. Laurel)
$13,204
Ridgeley St.
(Col. Farris Drive to MLK Ave.)
$230,300
Brown St.
(Liberty St. to Ashley St.)
$63,100
W. Ashley St.
(Carney St. to Trammell St.)
$19,650
E. Ashley St.
(N. Main to MLK Ave.)
$148,885
Harris St.
(Crow St. to Fennell St. & Fennell St. to Ridgeley St.)
$139,120
Robinson St.
(Mobile St. to Maxwell St.)
$11,245
Swift Mill Road
(W. Nashville to Short St.)
$195,976
Bream St.
(Swift Mill Rd. to Short St.)
$35,005
Perch St.
(Swift Mill Rd. to Short St.)
$35,005
S. Pensacola Ave.
(E. Nashville to Pine St.)
$243,810
W. Oak St.
(S. Main St. to Dead End)
$37,500
W. Louisville Ave.
(Trammell St. to Main St.)
$19,259
Peachtree St.
(Oak Hill Ave. to Liberty St.)
$64,270
Carpet Drive
(Industrial Dr. to RR Crossing)
$68,865