Martindale council ponders road repairs

Potholes are the bane of many a city, and in Martindale the city council is discussing options for fixing them. 

“I think the potholes are the biggest problem in this town,” said Martindale council member Mike McClabb at the council’s meeting last week. “Especially on the edges of the road. … And if they’re not repaired properly, the erosion gets worse.”

Martindale’s River Road, which becomes Main Street in the downtown area, is notably pocked with potholes — some in the middle of the road and many large ones, as McClabb mentioned, along the sides of the road. At the intersection of Northwest River Road and State Highway 80, clusters of potholes await unsuspecting drivers turning onto the highway 

Council member Mary Alice Paul said she and McClabb are working on putting together a proposal to put out for a bid that would include road repairs and maintenance of some of the right-of-ways where weeds quickly get overgrown.

“We want everything to be fair when it goes out for bid,” Paul said.

Council member Lisa Shell Allan reminded McClabb that Martindale has an agreement with Caldwell County for pothole repair. McClabb countered that he has seen shoddy work done on pothole repairs, like dry fill that washes out during the next rain.

“Their worksmanship is absolutely atrocious,” McClabb said.

Allan suggested going to the commissioners court to discuss the issue, but McClabb was insistent on Martindale finding a way to fix the problem.

“The budget is limited, I understand, but we really need to get on top of these pothole repairs and do them properly,” McClabb said.

In other business, the Martindale council postponed a vote on a resolution for the creation of a San Marcos River Advisory Board. Council member Sonja Villalobos said she had only received two applications from interested individuals.

“It’s better than nothing,” she said. 

Villalobos said she is still accepting applications for the group, which would inform the Martindale City Council on issues regarding the San Marcos River in and around Martindale, and will be accepting recommendations for what the advisory board should look like — size, eligibility requirements for members and other characteristics. Members of the public can send recommendations to Villalobos at svillalobos@martindale.texas.gov by July 20.