Estimates for a road improvement project in Hill Subdivision hit a major obstacle when bids for engineering and paving on a mile-and-a-half stretch of road far exceeded an earlier estimate for the work.
Carbon County commissioners previously agreed to cover the project at an estimated $700,000, allowing residents through their homeowners association to buy into a special assessment arrangement that would allow repayment of the funds over a 10-year period.
However, the $700,000 estimate for the work was substantially less than the lowest bidder on the project, Nielson Construction, who agreed to do the work for $840,000, not counting additional costs related to engineering and financing the special assessment.
“We are also going to have engineering fees that are going to be probably near $100,000. There is going to be a bond fee to get the funds, which I’m told will be about 1 percent of the total amount bonded for. And there will also be attorney fees,” said Christian Bryner, the county’s civil attorney, during the Aug. 6 commission meeting.
Commissioners were scheduled to meet with homeowners to discuss the situation during an informal meeting that took place after last week’s regular commission meeting. No action was taken.
“You do have the authority to go ahead and go forward with the levy at a significantly higher amount, which right now would be closer to $980,000 to a $1 million if you went forward. That is significantly over the amount that was estimated. So the question is, do you wish to go forward at this point anyway? Or perhaps you’d like to see whether the subdivision or homeowners association wants to pay a bill that is going to be significantly over what they were expecting,” Bryner asked.
Commissioners agreed to table the item.
But before moving onto other business, Commission Chair Jake Mellor allowed a Hill homeowner to address the board.
The man said he purchased a home in the subdivision in late 1999. He suggested only 500 yards of the road in question required any serious engineering effort.
The homeowner expressed his displeasure with the county not willing to help pay a portion of the project, for instance the engineering.
“Do you have any idea how much we’ve paid in taxes in the past 18 years? I’ll tell you, $423,189 in taxes, into the county,” the man said, citing a figure that represented taxes paid by all of the homeowners in the subdivision for the last 18 years. “And you have the gall to tell me you can’t pick up the engineering? It angers me unbelievably. It makes me want to put my house up for sale and move.”
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