Current Status as of December 10, 2016

Road Work Completed since Last Update

  • Ditch reclamation on Strawberry, erosion socks placed.
  • Ongoing monitoring of ditch and road conditions.
  • Cracks in Bradford Drive have been patched and sealed.
  • Culvert clean out work at 599 Heritage.
  • Decision was made to postpone King Richard ditch work until the spring.

Information from the Engineering Firm

  • Austin Engineering attended the November Board Meeting.
  • The primary purpose of the engineer is to help us design the best option within our budget, and then act as a liaison with the county to sell them on our plan.
  • Core pavement analysis has been completed and results were better than anticipated.
  • Some changes will be made to the original plan that was presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting, primarily introducing a 3rd in-between level of construction for those roads that need more than resurfacing, but not full reconstruction.
  • Planning for meeting with the County Highway Planning Commission, Transportation Committee and County Board to get preliminary approvals of our design.
  • We are looking at the first round of construction in August & September of 2017. This work will focus on the side streets in need of reconstruction.
  • The remaining roads should be able to be completed in 2018, with the possibility of extending into 2019 if unable to be completed in 2018.
  • The resurfacing work that was done in the summer of 2016 could be continued in early 2017 to give us a jump-start of the construction season before the SSA is funded and potentially lower the amount needed for the SSA. This work can reduce our overall SSA costs by more than just the construction costs since it will be paid for with cash on hand and not financed with the bond.
  • We don’t yet know if the SSA (assuming approved) will go on the tax bills due in 2017.
  • We will be using the IDOT Bureau of Local Roads Design Manual as a basis for our design but will propose a final design using a pavement design based on generally accepted engineering design standards.
  • The estimates we developed for the 2016 Annual Meeting were very reasonable for the scope of work we are planning.
  • The work that was done to prepare for the 2016 Annual Meeting has proved very beneficial to the preliminary research. The engineers will not be repeating a majority of the field measurements and will be updating the preliminary cost estimates we have already calculated, saving us research time and cost.

Next Steps December 2016 through February 2017

  • Complete the design phase.
  • Meet with the appropriate County governing bodies to receive approval of our plan. We plan to submit a request to be placed on the February 2017 Planning Committee Meeting Agenda, as long as support for the final recommended pavement design is received from Tazewell County Highway Department in December or early January.
  • Negotiate the Development Agreement with the County, then pass the ordinance and establish the SSA in 2017.
  • Research timing impact to members on property tax bills.
  • Review potential projects for early part of construction season 2017, and what cash needs would be.
  • Prepare a proposal for the membership if early 2017 projects are desired. Action would need to be taken at the annual meeting to raise the Road Fund to finance these projects.