Alabaster Mayor David Frings, is continuing to rightly focus attention on requiring developers in the city to comply with existing city subdivision ordinances.

Chief among the mayor’s concerns are potholes and the general state of disrepair of some subdivision streets. In the mayor’s words, the streets are “terrible” and most of the folks Frings represents agree with him completely.

The city council previously endorsed Frings’ effort to force the hands of several developers, by legal means if needed, to make repairs to existing streets in their developments including Lacey’s Grove off Shelby County 17 and Tanglewood by the Creek off Shelby County 12.

Generally, it appears the mayor’s efforts are working as developers are making repairs to road sub-base, etc. and moving forward to get roads in their subdivisions into compliance.

But the efforts of these developers, to date, have not included the actual laying of asphalt, what so many of us consider as the only step in the process of fixing a road.

Record-setting cold weather has prevented developers from repaving those streets because asphalt does not ‘cure’ properly in such cold temperatures. That’s little comfort to the homeowners in those subdivisions but, at a minimum, it is a bit comforting to know why repair work has not yet included paving.

There is no doubt, in my opinion, that Mayor Frings will continue to hold developers accountable for the condition of the streets in their subdivisions and the mayor has confidence the developers will indeed comply with what has been asked of them once warmer weather arrives.

That leaves many Alabaster residents dodging potholes and the like for a bit longer and, like everyone in Shelby County, hoping warmer temperatures will arrive sooner rather than later.