Lola Lauri

The following information is based on the plan in place last year.  If there have been any changes since then, I do not have them.

The board agreed to a 5-year plan presented by Gil Werner and the Maintenance committee, including Bob Lauri and Joe Miller.  The plan begins with dedicating $200k per year to the roads.
First, Bob Lauri, our staff, GM, and the maintenance committee surveyed the roads and assessed the damage by designating roads as primary, secondary and tertiary.  Then specific pieces of each road were rated based on the extent of the damage and the need for drainage fixes.  Areas slated for repair were chosen using this data which, presumably, will be updated each year as situations change.

The first priority in repairing the roads is to prevent water damage.  This happens by fixing the grading along the sides of the major roads and replacing damaged drainage pipes that run underneath them. It makes little sense to repair or repave roads when there is not proper drainage. The freeze/thaw cycle on roads with poor drainage is the main cause of the “alligator cracks” that are the beginning of road deterioration. Of course, there will always be routine maintenance that must be continued along with this drainage project.

With proper drainage, and with the work guarantees that were negotiated with contractors, paving should last longer in the future, and this frees up some of the $200k for more repairs to secondary roads.  As we catch up with the drainage and repaving, hopefully, this will at some point allow for paving of those unpaved roads.

However, all of this is dependent on the board continuing to fund the project, and barring any major disasters that require immediate repair.  Should we be lucky enough to have another mild winter or two, the project could be accelerated, but major storms and a lot of freeze/thaw fluctuations could set it back.  So, with all these variables, it is hard to say exactly how long this might take.

There is a plan, or at least there was, but plans in our community are always dependent upon the whims of the current board, so it is important to let each board know what your priorities are, and to select candidates who will continue programs that you think are important.  Even if you choose not to attend meetings, you might want to put a note on your calendar, as a “back to school” item, to write a letter to the board each September, reminding them of the things you believe are important in our community.