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HOA urges Liberty County to delay acceptance of White Oak Trails Section 6 over road-prep concerns
Summary
Jeff Benner, president of the White Oak Trails Homeowners Association, told the commissioners the county should not accept Section 6 into the county maintenance program until subgrade and asphalt preparation are verified; the court later tabled the related agenda item pending engineering documentation.
Jeff Benner, president of the White Oak Trails Homeowners Association, urged Liberty County Commissioners Court on May 12 to delay accepting Section 6 of White Oak Trails into the county-maintained road program until engineers verify subgrade and asphalt preparation.
Benner said the subdivision has about nine planned sections, roughly 175 lots sold and about 37–40 lots still available, and that earlier sections already under county maintenance show ‘‘potholes, loose asphalt and dips’’ that have not been permanently repaired. ‘‘I urge the county not to accept section six into the maintenance until proper verification of the subgrade and asphalt preparation is completed,’’ Benner said, noting safety problems including a severe dip before a bridge and narrow stretches that make two-way vehicle passage difficult.
County staff and commissioners discussed the packet material and LJA Engineering’s visual inspections. Several commissioners said the critical documents required by the county’s roadway standards — including geotechnical reports signed and sealed by a registered professional engineer, roadway-design reports, traffic and hydrology analyses, and completion reports documenting construction stages — were missing from some files or had not been verified electronically as required.
At the agenda item (Item 815), staff noted that LJA had performed a visual inspection on April 22 and provided a letter in the packet. Commissioners expressed concern that approving a single newly built section without assurance the subgrade and base were prepared per county standards shifts liability and future costs to taxpayers. Commissioner discussion repeatedly returned to the same point: visual inspection alone can miss subgrade issues that later cause failure.
Following discussion, a motion to table the White Oak Trails Section 6 agenda item passed; the court directed staff and LJA to produce the required subgrade/geotechnical and completion documentation before returning the item for consideration.
The court did not take final action on Section 6 at the May 12 meeting; staff said they will return the matter with the documentation required under county roadway standards.
