In general, we should all be proud of the efforts of Road Chair, Anderson. First, if you have attended board meetings, you'll probably note that he took his time, followed the Reserve Study recommendations, and sought professional engineering, contract development and contractor procurement and oversight. More than once, as he brought the project to the board table, some on this board questioned his process and the expense of the professionals. He appeared to patiently come back with answers.
Most of us don't have road repair in our background. I suspect that most on this board don't either. Anderson stated during a recent meeting that he didn't. When in question follow the expert advise of the Reserve Study, we paid for it, and seek the help of professionals, and he did. To the general observer, having been here during the mishandling of the 2011 road repair, it looks like a great job in process. HERE ARE A FEW PICTURES - DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL SITES:
Pine Grove
William Screven
Possum Trot
Wedgefield Leading to Landing
Wedgefield Near Live Oak Intersection
Francis Parker Near Wedgefield Intersection
Entering Wedgefield After Circle
There is a major hitch to this project. It is a familiar and frequent problem, and that is COMMUNICATION. This well orchestrated project, by it's very nature, is lengthy and upsets the daily lives of the residents who live in these areas. As the board approved the project, Garrison asked whether residents who were directly affected by the work, would be informed. It was agreed that there would be notification. To my knowledge, and through a little further research, there wasn't any notification to affected residents by the board. My street has some repair in two places and we didn't receive anything. Additionally, a friend spoke to two residents in an area where a large project was in process - trees and roots cut, etc., and they didn't receive notification.
All residents affected by the work should have been notified as agreed. If you don't live in one of these areas, you don't know that the process is relatively long - not dump, spread, and leave. The noise is loud and constant. It is messy and the machinery can be damaging. The board should know that as residents, we want the work done right. We are willing to put up with inconvenience, but we should know in advance and be provided some basic information. We all know for instance that the WPA owns from the middle of the road, into our property. Yet, we are responsible for day to day maintenance. If that property is destroyed with big ruts, etc., who is going to do the work to bring it back to normal appearance? If machinery, big machinery is parked there and on our real property and causes destruction, who fixes it? Why is the machinery parked there anyway? Remember, DeMarchi's staging area (??????) when storm damage clean up was completed on his favorite road first? Why wasn't there a staging area? HERE ARE SOME OF THE PICTURES THAT CAUSE QUESTION:
Early in the project a resident wrote the board about the contractor dumping debris at the end of Governor Johnston, in what appeared to be utility company property. I have removed the resident's name (as always), and provided pictures of the mess I found at the site on 8/1/14. HERE ARE THE LETTERS TO THE BOARD AND THE PICTURES.
As we finish the article, we should put things in perspective. First we thank Anderson for a fine job in securing the contractor, and what appears to be excellent road work. This was an expensive and needed project. Yes, residents affected should have been noticed by this board. Yes, it looks like staging equipment could be a problem. It may be one of those lessons learned regarding the project, but lack of truthful communication from this board is "same old, same old", and quite frankly, it could appear they want it that way.
There is a bigger lesson - bigger picture here. Anderson handled this project as though he had observed previous projects, and learned. He hasn't spoken, and we haven't asked, but he did the right thing. He gets respect for that. This whole board, Anderson, included, have watched too much go by, at times from current board members, who have a sorry history of doing what is right. The have a deviant history of abusing anyone who tries to do the right thing.
This road project brought my mind back to the 2011 road project. The total amount spent was around $29,000. You have four current board members who were on the board then, and are now. They are McMillin, Garrison, Jacky Walton, and John McBride. During that project, it was proven that around $20,000 was handled without contract, the contractor didn't show for long periods of time, a contract was finally developed for the last piece of money by McMillin that gave a huge up front payment, and had no total amount on it. A resident (not me), turned the project information over to the LLC and the contractor was fined.
McBride kept asking the board to seek qualified contractors and engineering services for root and grass cut backs, etc. In 2011 Garrison said this, "We've got plenty of stuff to do that doesn't take an engineer or a rocket scientist, or any body else to figure out where some of these holes are" The Road Chair in 2011, who had already spent about $20,000 without a contract, with a contractor that the state eventually fined, said this before the vote for an additional $9,000, "I just want to finish this little chunk of CHANGE where the $9,000 with the guy we go and then kiss him goodbye." No one listened to McBride, and McMillin, Garrison, and Jacky Walton voted to spend the "$9,000 "chunk change" on this project.
What happened to McBride, the questioning board member, then, and now? Jacky Walton became President. As such, he gets to name committee chairs. It could appear that when you question this President, and it goes against what he and his cronies want, that he makes sure that you get the Welcome Committee, and nothing else. If you question what his other favored - named by our President, committee chairs want, he assists in abusing you verbally at the board table, along with his named Legal Chair, "I'm not inclined to seek a legal opinion" - Garrison, supported by a new player, DeMarchi, "no report", Compliance Chair. As for McMillin, he'll sit by with the others on this current board, and vote with the cronies, like he did in 2011.
It should be noted that some of the major work that was done in 2011, is being redone now, with engineering involvement. Not a "rocket scientist", Garrison, but it was necessary after all!
PLEASE NOTE: I encourage you to go to the WPA website, under reports, and read the August 16, 2011 Corrected & Replaced Road Report"
