DODGE CITY — Dodge City council members are hoping to petition the Alabama Department of Transportation to have traffic lights placed along Highway 69.

Three locations were discussed during Thursday evening’s council meeting. The intersections of Hwy. 69 and County Roads 216 and 223 and at either end of the overpass which crossed Interstate 65.

Councilwoman Irvin Chumley summarized the difficulties the town has had in their past attempts to place traffic lights in these locations.

“I know 216 and 223 will be an uphill battle, it has been for the past 30 years,” Chumley said.

When discussing a recent conversation with Shawn Butler of ALDOT, Councilman Jerry Lynn seemed to verify these concerns. Sharing that Butler had told Lynn that neither of the two factors used by ALDOT to determine the need for traffic lights — the amount of non-peak hour cross street traffic and vehicular loss of life — were of high enough concern to justify the installment of traffic lights.

Butler did suggest to Lynn that it was his opinion that the town would qualify for a Community Block grant to have a turn lane built at the Co. Rd. 223 intersection that would be backed by ALDOT if an application were submitted.

Petitions are set to be posted at the Dodge City Town Hall and distributed to businesses throughout the community. The public is encouraged to sign.

Due to a lack of participation the council has also decided that the Dodge City Day celebration scheduled to take place on June 11th is to be cancelled this year. With only 10 vendors scheduled for this years event, as opposed to the previous event three years ago, the council felt there was simply too little time to prepare.

In other business the council:

Approved a Back to School Tax Holiday for July 15 through July 17.

Approved the purchase of a plaque honoring the late Mayor Tawana Canada that will be placed at the Dodge City Senior Center, and discussed the desire to host an event officially dedicating the facility to Canada.