During the Carbon County Commission meeting on Wednesday evening, a public hearing discussion took place concerning the improvements that may or may not be made starting on Gordon Creek road and ending on Hilltop road.
Homeowner Neil Breinholt was the first to give his opinion on the issue. Breinholt has been working tirelessly to get the road paved. He has spoken with a bond attorney a few times on the road and was informed that there has to be 60% in favor and no more than 40% against. Commissioner Casey Hopes shed some light on the topic, stating that the 40% is not only for citizens in favor of the road, but the value itself.
The next person that spoke on the issue was John Boyle, also a homeowner in the subdivision. Boyle’s concern was that the top of the road has been lowered a bit and the runoff has grown significantly because of it. According to Boyle, some of the water is creating a ditch and he wants the ditch to be taken care of before it worsens. Boyle stated he did not believe that the road was ready to be improved at this time.
Another homeowner, Aaron Howe, also stood in front of commissioners and gave his opinion on the matter. Howe is in favor of paving the road. He wanted to point out that part of the proposal is to get a professional engineer to design the road, and that would include the necessary drainage.
“It needs to be done so that everyone can have a good, dependable road to their home,” he said.
There are factors other than citizens concerns that need to be taken into consideration before the improvement of the road can be approved. Jeff Richens, who works for Price River Water Improvement District (PRWID), spoke briefly about his concerns. He stated that there is a pump station that feeds sixteen lots in the subdivision and PRWID is required to see that the runoff does not flood it. Richens suggested that the asphalt be at least three feet away from the waterline just in case of pump maintenance.
Other members of the community that have property in the subdivision also stood in front of commissioners with their opinions on the road improvement plan, with nearly all in favor. If the project is approved, members of the subdivision will have to pay for the road over ten years. Breinholt approved and informed commissioners that the bond attorney will create a document that has all the concerns and requirements in it.
Currently, the main concern by commissioners is that all of the documents have yet to be looked over. They also want to be sure that the decision is made fairly and that everyone who wishes to have a say in whether or not the road is paved, is able to state their opinions. There will be another public hearing for the improvement of Hilltop Road and the date has been tentatively set for Wednesday, January 6. A written protest may be filed 60 days after the hearing takes place.