ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – The city is trying to partner with commercial property owners to bring part of Loop Road up to standard so the city can take it over.

The portion in question runs between the Winn Dixie and Walmart Neighborhood Market shopping centers and to Mariner Lakes Subdivision. Residents there have tried several times in the past to have the city take it over.

“The city has said no because of the maintenance cost,” Engineering and Environmental Services Director Kit Alexander said. “Because of this mayor recognizing the hardship of this residential subdivision, to have the liability and maintenance cost and the fact that it’s functioning as a commercial road, this mayor wanted to run it by council to pay for the resurfacing portion of it.”

Loop Road and the subdivision were in place before the commercial development began south of where it is located.

“That entire Loop Road was platted as private when the Mariner Lakes subdivision was originally constructed,” Alexander said. “That portion of the road is used by everybody so it is the opinion of the city that that portion of the road does not function as a private road. It functions as a public commercial road.

“A resolution was passed that said we will take it over if the road is brought to an acceptable standard.”

Before that can happen, Alexander is trying to iron out the funding between all the business owners in the area and what the city is going to contribute. The City Council is expected to vote on it at tonight’s meeting at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

Alexander met with most of the commercial property owners and talked by phone with Wick Goldstein, the owner of Hazel’s, to hash out a proposal.

“We all sat at the table and said, the mayor would like for everyone to consider since everybody is impacting that road by using it, divvying up the $55,000, the remaining, divvying it up so that everybody pays a portion of that improvement,” she said. “And they decided to divvy it up based on the amount of frontage on that road.”

But at last week’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Councilman Jeff Silvers said he would propose the city cap its commitment to $10,000 for bringing the road up to standard.

“I am typing up a resolution based on the proposal that I put in front of them that we pay for the resurfacing and (Silvers) will probably amend the resolution as a part of the motions to cap it at $10,000,” Alexander said.