Lack of some street lights still an issue in Meadow’s Edge

Gene Derline spoke to council members about an ongoing issue for some residents in Meadow’s Edge, even though it’s still under construction. Derline is vice-president of the Meadow’s Edge Advisory Committee.

His comments came during the “Public Comment” portion of the February 22 council meeting. During “Public Comment” the council and mayor are not allowed to answer questions and each speaker is allowed three minutes of time.

Before beginning Derline acknowledged up front, “Technically, this is out of (your) hands for right now.”

Derline then asked about Phase-3 still not having street lights.

“People are still using their outdoor lights for street lights,” he said. “When will Phase-3 get street lights?”

This has been an ongoing discussion between Derline and Mayor Paul Mitchell. When Phase-1 was first proposed Mitchell required street lights be in the plan. Phases one, two and four have street lights, with Phase-4 nearing completion.

Derline also wanted to know if there is a timeline as to when Rausch Coleman will be turning over control of the subdivision to the city. Rausch Coleman is the contractor responsible for construction of Meadow’s Edge.

Derline said he knows Meadow’s Edge must meet certain “code” before the city accepts responsibility of the subdivision. “And, one of them should be street lights on every street,” he said.

In the past Derline has described his attempts to get the oversight resolved. He says he was told by Rausch Coleman that whoever was put in charge of overseeing the construction of Phase-3 was not told about the street lights.

Before his three minutes ran out Derline asked about having a flashing light placed at the intersection of Highway 111 and the entrance to Meadow’s Edge.

“We are right in the middle of two sharp curves,” he said. “And, the traffic is flying around 111.”

He went on to explain how one driver coming off of Highway 111 turned into Meadow’s Edge hitting another vehicle. Derline believes the driver was going too fast.

Speed on the streets of Meadow’s Edge has always been a concern. At a previous council meeting the topic came up and the explanation given was that until the city accepts responsibility for the streets police have no jurisdiction to write traffic citations in Meadow’s Edge.

Ward-2 Council Member Juanita Wilson later said she spoke to Derline after the meeting and explained how the Arkansas Department of Transportation decides whether an intersection qualifies for a flashing warning light. But even then, the city will have to pay for it.