 Bates said that rather than getting tied up in litigation, in the
interest of moving the project along, the city determined that in
this situation it would be best to attempt to negotiate with the
homeowners. "The homeowners are not antagonistic with the city; they
are upset homeowners," he said.When D. and Misty Heath bought the
property several years ago, the patio and fence were already there.
It came as quite a surprise to learn about the problem.
It's a give and take from both parties, Bates said last week. The
owners allowed the city to take down the fence in order to begin the
street work. The city put up a snow fence to help them keep their
dog in their yard.
It was decided to allow the family to keep their patio and to put
up another fence on a modified line when the street work is
complete. These will not interfere with the construction process or
the road when it is complete, Bates told the council. They've also
agreed to allow the city access to the right of way, if needed, in
the future.
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Misty told the council last week that they are planning to put up a
nice privacy fence after the street work is completed.
At the city council business session on Tuesday night it was
announced that contract negotiation and signatures are expected to
be completed this week.
On another matter with that same project, the cost has been
modified and the contract extended. Mathon explained that it was
found during preliminary fieldwork that with widening the street
there would be some areas of the base that would be too thin to
support the new roadway. The council approved increasing the almost
$200,000 cost estimate by $15,000 for additional base course
materials.
And finally, the contract with Illinois Valley Paving of
Springfield has been extended due to the delay. The completion date
that was set for Nov. 23, 2007, is now set for May 23, 2008.
[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]
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