An expert has been appointed to take over Prichard's embattled water board after it defaulted on a $55 million loan.
PRICHARD, Alabama —— On a hot afternoon in September, Angela Robinson Adams walked to her backyard, where the recent rain showers created “her own swimming pool.” Adams’ yard rarely floods, but the streets in her Alabama Village neighborhood often do.
Brandon Williams, 42, owns several properties in Alabama Village, including a home next to Adams. He recalled being billed for 10,000 gallons of water, even though his unit was unoccupied. One church in the areaWilliams hoped to get answers, so he attended several city meetings and community meetings, but it’s been a “reality show” instead of a space for resolution.
It’s expensive to conduct regular maintenance or make upgrades to infrastructure, especially in areas with a low tax base due to economic decline and population loss, said Daryl A. Carter, professor, associate dean, and director of Black American Studies at East Tennessee State University. Additionally, Carter mentioned that in sparsely populated areas, leaders may be passionate about creating change for their communities, but may not have the tools, knowledge, or resources to hire or appoint trained staff to effectively maintain its water systems, for example.
Attorney Roger Varner, based in Mobile, filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 35 households in Alabama Village against the board in response to the threats to cut off water service and foreclose on their homes if they had “dangerous weeds” or were not in “safe condition.
“We are hoping and praying for this because if not, we know we are in serious, serious, serious trouble. We won’t be able to make it. We don’t have any money,” Campbell Morris said.
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