Tarrant business owners frustrated by constant flooding on Highway 79

TARRANT, Ala. (WBRC) - Frustrated business owners in Tarrant want the city to do something about the constant flooding along Highway 79.

Lash Shelton, the owner of Still Stand’n Barber Shop, said it happens all the time and September 4 was a prime example. That’s because the road was nearly impassable.

You could see drivers trying to avoid what looked like a pond on the side of the road.

The manager at Taco Bell said a customer’s car stalled out and it’s been sitting in their parking lot ever since.

Shelton said just a little bit of rain causes the area to flood.

He’s been at this location about seven months and said the water has crept into his shop at least two times, and it sometimes prevents customers from getting in.

He said he thinks it’s a problem with the drainage system and wants the city to do something about it now.

“Make it disappear. (laughter) Make it disappear. People try to come in, sometimes their cars get stalled out because the water be so deep, you know, right along the front. This whole parking lot be filled up. I shouldn’t be impacted with every rain. Like every rain? Maybe, you know, when it rains a lot. Maybe I could understand that, but the smallest amount of rain it’ll flood out,” Shelton said.

We reached out to Mayor Wayman Newton on September 6 to see if there is a plan in place to fix this issue.

We set up a time to speak, but he canceled.

We also reached out the city’s police chief, but he was told not speak to on this matter.

We reached out to the mayor again September 8, but our calls, messages, and texts were not returned.

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