Paving project moves with care

PALMER -- Several residents living in the area of an upcoming Palmer road improvement project are concerned about the design and execution of the enterprise.

Residents voiced their thoughts during a public hearing at the April 13 Palmer City Council meeting. At this meeting, the council passed a resolution stating that the council members find the improvement necessary and beneficial for the assessed properties.

Local resident Diana Long said communication between the city and its residents could have been better in this case.

"Some residents feel uninformed and helpless," she said. Although Long said she believes pavement could benefit the area, she also said the process needs to be performed with care. "We want this done right the first time," she said.

A resident who said proposed plans drawn up by the city would raise her driveway by 2 feet called for consideration of the needs of nearby residents during the paving process. "It would be nice to have that road paved," she said, "but we need to do it right."

Part of the concerns of residents also have to deal with school bus traffic on Eagle Street, which acts as a primary thoroughfare for buses serving the nearby Swanson Elementary and Sherrod Middle schools.

City Manager Tom Healy conducted a survey of the area, complete with an estimation of the cost of improving the road. The council drew upon this survey in making its decision Tuesday night.

From back of curb to back of curb on either side, the street is planned to be 36 feet wide, while the road itself will be 28 feet wide. Residents are required to pay 25 percent of construction costs for 24 feet of this road, while the city pays the remaining 75 percent. The city will also pay 100 percent of the cost of sidewalks, curb ramps, traffic marking symbols, street lights and storm sewer improvements.

Total cost for the project is approximately $654,000, however, a state grant of $200,000 reduced this number by about one-third. This figure amounts to slightly more than $2,000 per residential lot on the road.

At the Tuesday meeting, the city council hammered out an assessment agreement that would require residents to pay both by the lot and by the square footage of the lot. In this manner, said Council Member Tony Pippel, residents would each be assessed a flat rate, though those owning larger lots would pay slightly more.

A resident who owns seven lots on West Eagle Street spoke against this payment plan, complaining that his underdeveloped property would incur unmanageable costs. He also emphasized the very delicate drainage situation on West Eagle, saying that errors in the planning process could have great ramifications. The council attempted to construct a payment plan that would allow him to handle the considerable fees levied on him by the pavement.

Rich Koch, public works superintendent for Palmer, said he believed that the methods to be used would address the concerns of the residents.

"Our construction methods can minimize the effect of subterranean and drainage water," Koch said.

Pippel also advocated spending more money on the project if needed.

"I don't hear people saying that it costs too much, I'm hearing people saying that we'd better do it right," he said.

Council Member John Combs was confident that the city could manage the pavement successfully the first time around.

"We did learn a lesson from Evergreen, believe it or not," he said, referring to last summer's paving debacle, during which Evergreen Avenue was closed during peak tourist and State Fair season.

The area within the proposed project bounds includes 38 lots with a total assessed value of $2,690,600, and an average value of $129,704, according to figures from the city.

According to Pippel, this is a case in which economy might need to be sacrificed in the name of quality.

"I don't want to do things cheaply and have them be lousy," he said. "Let's do it right the first time around."

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.