Clarksdale has invested thousands of dollar paving streets around town over the past two summers and the city doesn’t like it when they are torn up and not repaired properly by utility companies.
The Clarksdale Board of Mayor and Commissioner has voted to “initiate legal action” against Atmos Energy Company alleging they have not repaired streets according to city requirements, following utility maintenance and installation.
Clarksdale drew up specifications last year requiring utility companies that dig up city streets and sidewalks to use specific types of fill, compact the fill, put in a hardened base and then pave the surface with asphalt.
And while those specs cost more, Clarksdale Public Utilities has followed those rules since that time.
“The City of Clarksdale contends that Atmos Energy Company has been systematically neglecting the quality of street repairs in Delta communities compared to more affluent areas,” they city said in a statement that only presents one side of the concern. “Specifically, the company has been filling street cuts in Delta neighborhoods with limestone, a less durable material, instead of repaving the streets as they do in wealthier areas. This practice has raised serious concerns about safety, infrastructure integrity, and equity within the city.”
No specific cost of damages was listed.
The statement said the city’s “legal team” was preparing to file suit. Melvin Miller is the Clarksdale City Board Attorney, but the city may hire outside counsel to handle this case. A search of court records was unable to turn up where a suit has been filed.
"Atmos is the country’s largest natural gas-only distributor,” says Atmos’ website, “and safely deliver reliable, affordable, efficient, and abundant natural gas to more than 3 million distribution customers in over 1,400 communities across eight states located primarily in the South."
They are Mississippi’s largest natural gas supplier with state headquarters in Flowood and corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas.
