Letter to the Editor

Letter to Heritage Lake property owners misleading

Friday, July 8, 2011

To the editor:

Once again the residents of Heritage Lake are being bamboozled! The POA Board has sent 'survey' letters out implying that the Commissioners of Putnam County are willing to work alongside the Board in finding a solution to the road maintenance in and around Heritage Lake; roads owned by the County. They are requesting residents to reply as to whether or not they want this road maintenance project to go forward

What they are not mentioning is that the County is NOT going to pay for any kind of engineering study, which is required before any king of plan can be initiated. The phrase "Commissions will adopt a preliminary resolution to activate the roads project and then engage an engineering firm" is completely misleading as it implies that the engineering firm, when they have blatantly stated they are NOT paying for an engineering study.

What also are misleading are the figures they used as a 'guestimate' in this letter, which has no basis whatsoever. These same figures were tossed around in 2009 when the property owners unanimously rejected this project.

Common sense says that even if these were accurate figures in 2009, which they were not as there was no engineering study done, in two years time, the price of all entities that would be involved in this project have increased dramatically and the quoted $4 million could be quadrupled.

At the Commissioner's Meeting on July 5, it was stated that the cost of oil -- a huge proponent of blacktop -- has increased from 40 cents per gallon to $2.10 per gallon. Do the math. I ask Mr. Schneider and Mr. Salms, just what authority did you use to come up with these figures?

I would urge all residents of Heritage Lake to think long and hard about any road project commitment, as it will be coming out of each and every one of our pockets. This letter purposely minimizes the cost effect on each and every property owner in order to gain community support for this very expensive project.

Another thought for consideration is that once this project is adopted by the POA, it will be a forever project of maintenance and if you think the county will delete the wheel and gasoline tax from us...well, you know where this is going!

Once this project is initiated, property owners have no input whatsoever into cost; the County Commissioners have complete and total control of how the cost is divided among property owners. The survey letter implies that you, the property owner, will have a choice in how the cost is divided, but that is also completely misleading.

I have talked personally to many property owners of Heritage Lake who are lot owners only. Their lots are not marketable now and these lot owners refuse to invest any more dollars into their lots. They have stated that they will let their lots be repossessed for tax sale if this project is initiated.

Susan Rich

Heritage Lake