Mayor says E. Stephens Street speed bumps will be removed and a refund sought from the vendor

Photo provided by the mayor shows bump is missing a section.

The removable speed bumps on East Stephens Street, which have been welcomed, reviled and avoided, will be taken up because they have suffered damage that can't be repaired, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift announced Thursday morning.

"Due to irreparable damage to the speed humps on E. Stephens, I have instructed city workers to remove them immediately," Vandegrift said in an email to city officials and the news media. "I will be contacting the company, Barco Products, to notify them of our expectation of a full refund." He said later that the expense was about $5,300.

Asked if there was any chance that the damage might the result of vandalism, Vandegrift replied, "It doesn't appear that way, but we haven't ruled it out completely."

Another photo from the mayor shows the missing piece.

Vandegrift and Council Member Bruce Southworth, who lives near the site, were leading advocates of measures to slow down traffic on the street, which runs past Midway University and the Homeplace at Midway, and becomes Weisenberger Mill Road at the city limits.

Some motorists said the bumps were too high, and the Homeplace and emergency medical services complained about them, so last month Vandegrift got the council to authorize him to buy a lower model. "Since these have deteriorated so rapidly, I don't plan on using the same company, and want to evaluate other options before installing more speed bumps," he said in a follow-up email.

The mayor said in his first email, "We will continue to pursue ways to effectively slow high traffic speeds on that stretch of E. Stephens, as well as any other road within the city where speeding persists," he wrote. "Feel free to contact me with any questions." His address is mayorgrayson@gmail.com.