Private Road Maintenance- two examples of systems that work.
Private Road Maintenance- two examples of systems that work.
Pine Ridge Road, Chub Lake Twenty property owners use Pine Ridge Road, which provides access to the east, north and west shores of Chub Lake. A property owner's association was formed in 1972 to share the cost and physical maintenance of the road. The current arrangement is similar to what was agreed upon 35 years ago, and works very amicably. We also have a shared arrangement for snow removal and sanding. The annual association meeting held in July allows for discussion of road issues and other property owner concerns.
Road maintenance:
1. Each property owner pays an annual fee of $150 in April to the association, regardless of how far along the road they live. The exception to this is three families who pay $60 because they only use a small portion of the road and have their own separate roadway to maintain (Wintergreen Lane). A joint bank account is kept by the association.
2. Culvert replacement is a major expense, so property owners are asked to pay into a reserve fund designated for culvert replacement. For example, each resident on the road paid $30 in 1996 and $25 in 2004. Since the culvert fund is empty again, there will be a new levy this year.
3. Each property owner on the road is also required to have one family member help on the annual road work day once a year. For about 4 hours, the crew trims roadside brush and branches, digs drainage ditches, etc. If a family is not able to help with the work day, a $25 fee is payable which helps pay for the rental of equipment. When there are major projects such as a culvert replacement, a separate volunteer crew is recruited.
4. Other road maintenance is done on a volunteer basis by many of the residents, who help maintain the road behind their property by filling in potholes, clearing branches, etc.
5. The association elects a road supervisor to be in charge of road maintenance. This person monitors the condition of the road and arranges for the delivery of gravel and grading of the road as needed.
Winter Maintenance
- A contractor is hired each winter to plow Pine Ridge Road whenever he feels it is necessary. One property owner at the far end of the road acts as a liaison with the contractor if there are concerns about the frequency of plowing, etc. and each road resident has a separate arrangement to plow their private driveways.
- An equal portion of the cost of snow removal and sanding of the road is billed monthly by the contractor to each year-round resident living on Pine Ridge Road. To help with these winter maintenance costs, a minimum contribution of $50 per winter is also required from each seasonal resident, and those on Wintergreen Lane. The reasoning behind this is that regular snow plowing provides access to each property for the owners and for emergency vehicles if necessary. Some seasonal residents voluntarily pay more than the minimum, due to their frequency of winter use or distance along the road. These fees are paid to the association treasurer, who then forwards them to the contractor so that the year-round residents' billings can be adjusted.
Hunts Road, off N. Waseosa Lake Road
Hunts Road is approximately 1 km in length. Each of the 18 developed properties along the road contribute an annual fee for road maintenance for the spring to fall period. Each fall, snow removal estimates are obtained and voted on by the property owners. Each property owner is assessed a dollar value based on the following formula: vacant land - 0% building - no winter use - 5% building - some winter use - 25% year-round use - 70% This system has worked well over 9 years.
