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Shown at the first annual City of Demopolis picnic are (L-R) parks and recreation employee Taylor Paramore, horticulture department director Beverly Blevins and water department director Byron Cook.

Fire station dispute best settled out of court

By Chris Wasson | Demopolis Times

Published Tuesday, June 2, 2009

DEMOPOLIS — Demopolis mayor Mike Grayson said Monday that the City of Demopolis is in contact with both Brown Design and Eaves Construction to keep the litigation of Demopolis Fire Station No. 3 out of court.

“We are hoping to come to an agreement and to truly not have to litigate the whole thing,” said Grayson in his weekly press conference.

The litigation has come about from a problem in the building of the lot of Fire Station No. 3 on U.S. Highway 80 East, which slopes downward, leaving standing water after it rains.

The city has made attempts to come to an agreement of payment to fix the problem, but it has yet to work it out.

“We all wanted to work out something; no one wants to see it go to litigation,” said Grayson, “but the fact that there were some problems and we couldn’t quite get in agreement to all parties got it this way. I feel like we can work something out and won’t have to go to court.”

If the litigation does go through it will be a suit filed against both Brown Design and Eaves Construction in order to have both equally pay for the necessary repairs.

Grayson also talked about the road construction project on U.S. Highway 43.

“There has been $353 million set aside for U.S. 43 in Thomasville to the end of 43 at Highway 80 in Demopolis,” he said.

There are no specific plans on how the construction will take place, but Grayson said that there are two primary schools of thought on construction.

“One is that they will start building in Thomasville and ‘march’ the construction up to Highway 80,” he said. “The other thought is that they will start at the Linden by-pass.”

Grayson said that the plans call for the road construction to begin this September.

Grayson noted that the first annual City of Demopolis employee picnic took place last weekend.

Barbara Blevins, the city’s horticulture department head, planned the event, which was held on Saturday.

“It was just a good time for all the departments to come together in a non-work atmosphere,” said Grayson.

The event was held at the city landing with food and activities for all the employees and their children.

Water wars were held between the departments as a way to keep cool and have fun.

“The picnic was just to have a little team building and morale boosting type thing,” said Grayson. “It really was to let the employees know about the good work they have been doing and the hard work they have been doing.”

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