City to pay $495K for Ala. 67/Upper River intersection property if council approves

Mar. 28—City Engineer Carl Prewitt asked the Decatur City Council this week for $495,000 to complete a right-of-way acquisition deal in the planned Upper River Road-Alabama 67 intersection realignment.

Prewitt said Bradley Wisener, of Wisener LLC in Guntersville, negotiated the deal for the city with Mary Davenport, who owns the 0.2-acre property on the southeast corner of the intersection.

The deal is a nonbinding verbal agreement subject to the City Council's scheduled vote at next Monday's 6 p.m. meeting.

The overall project is expected to cost about $1.95 million. The city received a $1.52 million grant from the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation Improvement Program II created by the Rebuild Alabama Act.

Chief Financial Officer Kyle Demeester said he expects to add money from the city's American Rescue Plan Act funds, so he's not sure how much the city will have to add from its own budget.

Brent Davenport runs the store, Hwy. 67 Used Furniture and Appliances, on his mother's property. He said Wednesday he sells used appliances "and anything else I can sell" at the store.

Davenport said he believes rerouting the road through the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge would be a better option, and he told this to a city official.

"They wouldn't even try (to ask Wheeler for the right of way)," Davenport said. "But this is my life here. It's how I take care of my family. They don't care about me. They just want their land."

He said they considered fighting the city's eminent domain power in court but decided to take the deal. An owner or the city can appeal to Circuit Court if they can't come to an agreement or either party disagrees with the appraisal of a three-person commission named by the probate judge.

Davenport said they had trouble finding an attorney to represent them. They were also concerned it "might take four or five years" to get a resolution.

"It's just something we have to do," he said.

Davenport said he would like to reopen the business at another location but he's having trouble finding a place he can afford.

"Anything on the Beltline costs $800,000 or more for the year," he said.

Council President Jacob Ladner voted against the project in August.

The council majority, Carlton McMasters, Billy Jackson and Kyle Pike, expressed support for the project.

Jackson said he "initially didn't know where I was on it," until he talked to some of the residents in that area.

"It's a real safety issue," Jackson said. "They feel the light is needed, especially if you're traveling west on (Alabama) 67. It's almost like a landmine turning back into Upper River Road. I will always support anything that has to do with the safety of our citizens."

Councilman Hunter Pepper voted for the project initially but said last week that he plans to vote against it Monday. He would not say why he changed his mind and now opposes the project.

— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432