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Fillmore construction limits travel on Main Street
FILLMORE -- With growth comes growing pains.
Residents of Fillmore have been learning this lesson in recent weeks with work on the Main Street stormwater project commencing and moving forward.
Much of the September meeting of the Fillmore Town Council was devoted to subject relating to the project and the effects it is having on residents of the town.
While the council received some solid news on the schedule of the project, it also grappled with a few complications that have arisen from the work.
Lori Young of Curry & Associates, the engineering firm overseeing the project, recently contacted town officials with a schedule for the remaining work. Contractor Eagle Valley Inc. put the remaining work in five phases.
* Sept. 4-18: Complete storm sewer main and structures.
* Sept. 19-24: Remove temporary stone and install trench asphalt.
* Sept. 25, 26: Restore disturbed areas throughout project.
* Sept. 27-30: Resurface streets and install stone shoulder.
* Oct. 1: Complete punchlist items.
The Tuesday, Oct. 1 completion date is dependent upon favorable weather.
In the meantime, residents and town leaders are making due with portions of the major north-south street through town blocked or under construction. A number of complications have arisen from the work.
Town Marshal Darrel Bunten reported people illegal driving around roadblocks as well as speeding up and down Putnam Street and Westwood Road as alternative ways out of town.
For now, he has increased patrols along the two streets in question, finding no speeders when a police car was present.
Additionally, he recently parked near one of the barricades where motorists were driving into yards and onto sidewalks. He issued several warnings and made all of the drivers turn around.
"I have a feeling it's going to get worse when they get up around the (Fillmore Christian) Church," Bunten said.
The problems around the church were expressed by other town officials as well. With the major work currently going on in front of Town Hall and the Post Office, motorists can get around using side streets and parking lots.
However, once the entrance to the church parking lot is blocked, the north end of town will be cut off from the south end of town via any street.
With no clear solution, it will simply be an inconvenience drivers will have to endure.
Bunten and utilities superintendent Joe Cash also reported taking a number of calls regarding dust generated by the temporary gravel covering the trench in which the sewer main will be buried.
Cash questioned why more is not happening to avoid certain problems.
"They've got a sweeper up there and I haven't seen it move," Cash said. "We also paid for flaggers and I haven't seen a flagger."
In relation to the utilities, Cash reported no water lines broken so far as a result of the work. A few sanitary sewer lines have been busted, but all have been repaired.
The question of a resident requesting a hookup to one of the new manholes was addressed. The contractor has said that the request was not submitted before completion of work in the area, so such an addition would cost an extra $1,000.
However, questions remain as to whether the resident was aware of the deadline for hooking up his basement drain.
Additionally, the resident did not previously need the hookup because of a drainage tile in his yard, which he says was broken during the construction.
Councilman Curt Leonard was clearly perturbed at a citizen being inconvenienced in this way.
"They messed up his tile so something needs to be done," Leonard said. "It worked before this project started, so it ought to work when it's done."
Town officials will contact Curry and grant administrator Kristy Jerrell about where the issue falls within the contract and the state grant funding the project.
In other news:
* The Fillmore Fire Department officially received permission to use the Town Hall parking lot for overflow vendor space for the Sept. 20-21 chicken barbecue event.
Serving at the 54th annual barbecue fundraiser is set for 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 and noon on Saturday, Sept. 21.
* In his capacity as fire department captain, Bunten requested permission for the department to use the town hall and town shed for meetings and parking during the construction of a new firehouse.
Construction remains in the planning phase, with grants still being procured. However, the department is likely to spend part of next year without a structure once the current building is torn down and the new is not yet built.
* The council adopted Resolution 2013-5, authorizing the acquisition of three credit cards for the purchase of fuel for town vehicles.