Mayor Tackles Mini Canyons In Battle Creek Parking Lot

The mayor of Battle Creek has announced he’s finally going to do something about fixing what is possibly the parking lot in the worst condition in Battle Creek.

The parking lot off Beckley Road and Riverside Drive near the Hobby Lobby and Taco Bell has been a point of discussion for the last few months. It’s not necessarily fair to call them potholes, but more like mini canyons that people have to drive erratically to avoid, which have been an issue that has gone unsolved for months.

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Unfortunately, it’s the responsibility of the land owner to fix this issue, and not necessarily the city. However, Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke stepped up to try to make some progress with it and offered the following updates:

I will be stopping out to Hobby Lobby and Taco Bell today to chat about the potholes in their parking lots on Beckley Road and Riverside Drive. We have tried working the Municipal route; however, we were not successful. I will try to chat with the managers of both establishments to see if we could attempt to reach a compromise and just fill in the potholes.

It wasn't long after he sent out the enquiry that he received a response from City Administration:

Good morning, Mayor. I saw your post today about Hobby Lobby and Taco Bell. While the city can’t pave that section, we do have a 60-day order out for repair, which makes their compliance date July 1. I apologize for any confusion. -Battle Creek City Administration.

The Mayor then received another update:

The filling of the potholes has been authorized by the responsible party. We’re now waiting for the contractor to fill the potholes or do the asphalt work. Please stay tuned. Thanks for all the individuals who knew who was responsible for getting this completed.