Talladega workers repairing large sinkhole near county courthouse

JASON, THANKS SO MUCH. HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SINKHOLE, THE SWALLOWED PART OF THE ROAD. TALLADEGA ROAD. YEAH. SO IT HAPPENED RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE CITY. THIS WAS BACK ON FRIDAY, WVTM 13, LISA CRANE JOINING US LIVE THERE THIS EVENING. HOW’S IT LOOKING OUT THERE, LISA. WELL, ACTUALLY, THE SINKHOLE IS NOW COVERED BY SOME METAL SLABS IN THE BACKHOE THAT YOU SEE BEHIND ME HERE IS SITTING ON TOP OF THOSE SLABS. THAT’S FOR SAFETY REASONS. BUT IT’S ABOUT EIGHT FEET DEEP AND TEN FEET WIDE. THE GOOD NEWS IS, THOUGH, LATE THIS AFTERNOON, CITY OFFICIALS RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING THE UTILITY ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED AND REPAIRS WILL BEGIN TOMORROW. THAT’LL BE GOOD NEWS FOR LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS. ONLY A STONE’S THROW AWAY FROM THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE, CREWS SPENT THE DAY DIGGING, PUMPING AND DUMPING THE WORKER TO FIGURE OUT WHY AN EIGHT FOOT DEEP SINKHOLE OPENED UP ON EAST STREET FRIDAY. LESS THAN A BLOCK AWAY, IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL AT SHERRY’S RESTAURANT. I WAS KIND OF WORRIED ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION ON THE SQUARE FOR TODAY, BUT PEOPLE STILL HAVE BEEN COMING IN, SO THAT’S BEEN GREAT. THEY’VE BEEN FINDING ALTERNATE PARKING SPOTS AND ACTUALLY COMING IN, SO IT’S BEEN GREAT. LATOYA WILSON HAS ONLY BEEN IN BUSINESS HERE FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN A MONTH. SO WHEN THE GROUND BROKE OPEN FRIDAY, THERE WAS SOME CONCERN CITY LEADERS WOULDN’T TALK TO US ON CAMERA, BUT RELEASED THIS STATEMENT SAYING IN PART, IT APPEARS THAT A FRANCHISE UTILITY DRILLED THROUGH THE AREA AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SINKHOLE, COMPROMISING SOME OTHER UTILITIES AND INVESTIGATION IS NOW UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE HOW MANY UTILITIES MAY HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED. WHILE MOST OF THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS NEAR THE SINKHOLE ARE DESERTED, WILSON SAYS SHE VERY PURPOSELY OPENED HER BUSINESS HERE IN THE TOWN SQUARE. SHE’S HOPING THIS SINKHOLE WON’T KEEP OTHERS FROM FOLLOWING HER LEAD. WHEN YOU SEE THE OLD BUILDINGS, THERE’S LIKE A PUSH TO ACTUALLY HAVE THE OWNERS TO ACTUALLY FIX THE DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS OR PUSH TO ACTUALLY BRING NEW BUSINESSES IN. SO WE KNOW WHEN YOU BRING OTHER BUSINESSES IN, THAT’S GOING TO ACTUALLY DRIVE AND MAKE PEOPLE WANT TO COME TO THE SQUARE. NOW, IN THE MOST RECENT STATEMENT, CITY LEADERS SAY THEY EXPECT THIS WORK TO BE COMPLETE BY WEDNESDAY, WEATHER PERMITTING. AND THAT WOULD BE GOOD TIMING BECAUSE THERE IS A MEMORIAL DAY GATHERING HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND HERE ON THE SQUARE.