Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drainage Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pine Mountain delays Sullivan Circle drainage project pending landowner's easement
Summary
Pine Mountain councilors delayed moving forward with the Sullivan Circle drainage project on Jan. 21 while awaiting a landowner's decision on granting construction and permanent easements for two parcels; the council set a Jan. 26 response deadline and scheduled a follow-up meeting for Jan. 27.
Pine Mountain Mayor Mullins said the town will wait for a landowner's decision before moving ahead with the Sullivan Circle drainage project, setting an informal deadline of Monday, Jan. 26, for an answer and scheduling a follow-up meeting on Jan. 27 to revisit next steps.
The project was postponed at the Jan. 15 meeting because the town is still waiting to learn whether Mr. Williams, who owns two parcels affected by the planned work, will grant the construction and permanent easements the town says are required. "We cannot take a vote, but when would you say we need an answer?" Mayor Mullins asked during the work session, noting the council needed a timeframe to proceed.
The easement question has become the central obstacle. Mayor Mullins said she objects to an alternative previously suggested by a council colleague — cutting a ditch behind houses with a grading contractor in lieu of the planned work — calling that approach ill-advised: "I think it would be the wrong thing to do," she said. Austin Gibson warned of legal and property risks, saying the town would face problems if work shifted onto private land: "you have issues because you would be on private property. Any further issues become the town's problems."
Councilor Stokeley Pound expressed skepticism that the proposed project would fully solve the drainage issue, stating it "is not going to fix the problem 100%." During the work session Mr. Williams phoned Justin Oliver and asked for a profile showing how the project would affect his property; he expressed concern about the removal of trees on his land.
Council discussion also touched on utility options. Thomas E. Scott raised whether moving a water line beneath the roadway would be preferable; councilors asked whether that would increase project costs. Mayor Mullins added that the town would not install private driveways for Mr. Williams and that doing so would create ongoing town responsibility, a position Gibson supported.
No formal vote was taken at the work session. Councilors agreed informally to give Mr. Williams until Jan. 26 to respond and set a follow-up meeting for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, to revisit the Sullivan Circle project and the easement question. The work session closed at approximately 8:53 a.m.
