Monticello aldermen agreed to move a water line to allow for theconstruction of a new church Monday.

Jerry Atterberry, deacon of Quinn Temple COGIC, told aldermenthe line would run close to the center of the church when thebuilding was constructed on property along Old Highway 27, FifthStreet and Dale Avenue.

Quinn Temple, presently located at 26 Bridges St., is growingand the new church building is part of that growth, Atterberrysaid. The church has more than 250 registered members.

Mayor David Nichols said Bobby Selman, director of the town’smaintenance department, had looked over the property and theysuggested rerouting the water line to avoid future problems.

“The soil there is pretty sandy and a leak under the buildingmay not be detected for a quite a while,” Nichols said.

Aldermen agreed to provide the labor to move the line at no costto Quinn Temple, but the church will have to purchase thesupplies.

In other matters, Nichols said the town will be ready after theholidays to begin moving forward on forcing some property owners toclean up their property under new state laws passed earlier thisyear.

Attempts to reconcile with the property owners about cleaning uptheir property have not been successful thus far, he said, and thelaws provide ways for the town to clean up the property and chargethe owner for the services.

Ward Five Alderman Craig “Bowie” Davis also requested a reportfrom the mayor on the town’s efforts to slow down speeders atLawrence County High School in the afternoons as school letsout.

“They become more brazen daily it seems,” he said. “I’ve got alot of complaints from people in my ward who want us to try to makethe area a little safer.”

Nichols admitted it was a problem, especially since theelementary school students are let out earlier in the afternoon andare home, possibly in the yard or in the street, by the time thehigh school is released.

The mayor said Police Chief David Stanley has increased officerpresence in the neighborhood in recent weeks and put the officersthere on roving patrol to discourage speeding students.

“We’ve already begun to see some slowing down in the area,”Nichols said.

The patrols will continue indefinitely, he said.