Paving to begin July 24
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 16, 2017 6:30 PM
Full SizeStreet paving is scheduled to begin Monday, July 24, in the Canterbury Village and North Creek subdivisions
The $1,557,921.85 project has a targeted completion date of Sept. 28.
Engineering costs are approximately $195,000 with a total project amount of $1.753 million.
Wayne County commissioners awarded the contract in June to Trader Construction Co. of New Bern.
Commissioners decided to hire their own engineer after the state Department of Transportation initial estimate came in more than $3 million.
It has been nearly two years since residents in those two subdivisions first appealed to commissioners for help on the deteriorating streets that they said were dangerous and adversely affecting property values.
The project area includes 123 residential lots fronting on the subdivision streets of East April Lane, Abbey Place, Adler Lane, Chancery Drive, Coventry Drive, Helms Court, Helms Drive, Hyde Park Drive, Lane Tree Drive and Londonderry Drive.
Commissioners used a state law that allows them to establish special tax levy district, in this case for street repairs.
The cost will be repaid by residents of the subdivision through a special property tax levy.
All property owners in the subdivision, even those who did not sign the petition for the project, will still be billed.
Residents can pay the levy without interest in one lump amount or they can pay it with interest over a 10-year period.
However, the exact amount of the levy will not be known until after the work is completed and paid for.
Several subdivisions were interested in the process, but residents in Canterbury Village and North Creek were the first to submit a valid petition seeking the street improvements.
Under county policy, commissioners will budget $2.5 million every two years for subdivision street repairs.
The projects will be approved in the order in which petitions seeking the work are declared valid and all public hearings have been conducted.
To be a valid petition to start the process at least 75 percent of the property owners representing at least 75 percent of the property road frontage in a subdivision must sign the petition.