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Resident pleas for change in midst of friend passing, road closures approved for fair and what sales tax projections look like
City council members heard local resident Debbie Damon’s cries for help regarding safety measures on Exit 698 at their recent city council meeting Monday, July 22.
Damon expressed her concern over her safety and the potential dangers of Exit 698 after commuting from Houston to Columbus for work over the past 13 years. She says in all this time the “fear of God” comes across her mind as she approaches the exit, worried whether drivers on the frontage road will yield or ignore the sign.
“Will I or will I not get in an accident,” questioned Damon. “Exit 698 should be renamed ‘Danger Zone’! Will the drivers on the frontage road yield or will the yield sign be ignored?”
Damon frustratingly highlights how she’s had to “dodge flying vehicle bullets time and time again” on the frontage road exit by Mikeskas BBQ. She says despite the “clearly noticeable” yield sign on the frontage road, she feels the sign goes unnoticed or doesn’t seem to matter, prompting her defensive driving instincts to kick in.
“Yes, there is a ‘VIELD’ clearly noticeable on the frontage road but that just doesn’t seem to matter, or it goes unnoticed,” said Damon. “As I have the right of way to exist off a major interstate my defensive driving sense tells me to almost come to a stop before proceeding through the exit. Other drivers coming off I-10 have beeped their horns and flipped me off like I’m some kind of crazy person. But I am still alive to tell the rest of this story.”
The determined resident questioned if council members had ever been “face to face with an 18-wheeler,” recalling an encounter she had by the same yield sign on Exit 698 with a vehicle owned by Dollar General. Damon said if she hadn’t acted to avoid the 18-wheeler, she would’ve been involved in a serious accident.
“It took me awhile to gain my composure,” said Damon. “I was unable to find the driver, but my speculation was that he got onto I-10 west. There were no Dollar General 18-wheelers going into town. I took this situation one step further and drove to the local Dollar General and they gave me contact information with their corporate offices. I contacted TXDOT and reported the incident and was given an incident report number.”
Damon’s final statement to council members came in the way of another story regarding a friend who had been involved in a life-threatening accident with an 18-wheeler off Bernardo and I-10, slipping her into a coma. She notifies council members that at the time of speaking to them, she got the news that her friend had passed away, concluding her plea by suggesting a flashing yield sign like the “4-way stop at Altair and 71.”
“Recently a friend of mine was in an accident with an 18-wheeler at Bernardo and I-10,” said Damon. “I have been working out-of-town and I don’t know the details, but my friend was still in a coma and was driven from Houston Memorial back to her home in Bernardo where she is still in a coma under Hospice Care. The driver was an illegal with no insurance. The company owning this vehicle should be held accountable to my friend and her family. I suggest a flashing yield sign like they have at the 4-way stop at Altair and 71.”
Councilmembers moved forward after the public comments and approved road closures for the Colorado County Fair Parade.
The roads closed include Milam Street (Spur 52) from the Elementary School Playground to Walnut Street (Highway 90), and the Closure of Walnut Street (Highway 90) from Milam Street (Spur 52) to Veterans Drive.
The parade will be held on Saturday, September 14, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.
Sales tax projections were also discussed at the meeting during their budget workshop, estimating an increase of $48,000 in sales tax revenue.
Projections compared to last year show tax revenue collected in 2023 of $1,350,000, versus a potential $1,398,000 in 2024.
The next Columbus City Council meeting will be held Monday, August 12.
