County changes policy for taking over subdivision road maintenance

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Jim Lemieux, the county’s road engineer, discusses the county’s road construction standard with Nelson Fiscal Court on Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 2 p.m. — Nelson Fiscal Court Tuesday approved a change in its policy regarding the timing when county government take over of the maintenance of subdivision streets in a new development.

Subdivision streets are built to a standard set by the county. In the past, the county took over maintenance of subdivision streets once they were completed and were in place through a winter and spring season.

The new policy adds the requirement that 50 percent of the homes planned for the subdivision street must be built before the county will takeover its maintenance.

The action comes as the county continues to make road repairs in a subdivision where the streets were accepted by the county, but due to the recession, homes were not built right away. When homebuilding resumed several years ago, the heavy construction traffic contributed to paving failures in the streets — failures that the county is required to pay to repair, Watts explained.

Subdivision developers are required to have a bond to cover the costs of road repairs while the subdivision is being built. Once the county takes over the maintenance of the roads, the county releases the developer from its bond obligation. All maintenance after the developer release is the responsiblity of county government.

Judge Executive Dean Watts reviews documents during a discussion Tuesday at the Nelson Fiscal Court meeting.

The policy change will mean developers will be required to maintain subdivision roads for a longer length of time,

County Road Engineer Jim Lemieux also presented the magistrates with an option to make the county road standards more rigorous, which would add to the cost of the road — costs that would be passed on to homebuyers.

The court opted not to change the county’s road design standards at this time. Watts said the action the court took was reasonable and it would not force developers to raise home prices.

BULKY ITEM PICKUP. More than 99 tons of refuse was picked up during the first week of bulky item pickup. Landfill manager Brad Spalding told Nelson Fiscal Court 1,160 tires were picked up the first week — three times more tires than last year so far. The county has the option of cutting the tires up and putting them in the landfill, but Watts said the county prefers to pay to have them recycled.

Magistrate Jeff Lear makes a point while Magistrate Jerry Hahn looks on.

ZONING AMENDMENTS. Two amendments to the joint city-county zoning regulations were introduced to the court.

The first amendment will revise the height of fences that require a construction permit. Currently, fences five-feet tall and over require a permit and inspection. The change raises this from five to 7 feet, which means fences under 7 feet would no longer require a permit.

The second amendment provides exceptions to setback rules for handicapped ramps and other accessibility improvements.

The court took no action, but will review the changes in the form of an ordinance at a future meeting.

In other business, Nelson Fiscal Court:

— voted to authorize Lemieux to place ads soliciting bids for construction of a new salt barn. The plan is to build a salt storage facility that will triple the county’s current storage capacity;

— approved appointing Sue Rogers to the Bardstown-Nelson County Recreation Advisory Board;

— approved renewal of the Humane Society’s contract for operating the animal shelter. The three-year contract includes an increase of $2,500 each year to cover the shelter’s operating costs. Watts noted that even with the increased funding, the county saves money by contracting with the Humane Society.

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