Road's paving plan faces no opposition

A street-paving program for a Carrboro back road passed its last major obstacle without opposition Tuesday night.

At a public hearing on a street improvement project for Lisa Drive, off Quail Roost Drive, no residents addressed the Board of Aldermen.

The town’s public works director, George Seiz, was set to present the town’s plans for the street to the aldermen, but they told him such a presentation would be unnecessary.

“We had all asked every question that it was possible … to ask,” said Mayor Mike Nelson.

The project is set for completion this summer.

Seiz said the paving will extend about 650 feet and tie in with another paving project on Quail Roost Drive, which the aldermen approved in December.

The cost for the paving alone for Lisa Drive is estimated at $63,000.

Seiz said the project also includes the installation of an 18-foot-wide strip of three-inch-thick pavement. The road will be bordered on the west by two feet of gutter, six inches of curb and a five-foot-wide sidewalk, designed to lessen the need for tree removal.

Property owners along the road instigated the project, and as a result, they will pay half the costs of paving.

The sidewalk, gutter, curb and storm water drains — estimated at $89,000 — are covered by funds from a 2003 sidewalk bond.

The project is just getting under way because property owners were not initially in agreement on what improvements were needed.

But Seiz emphasized that a majority of property owners are now in favor of the project. “This is being paved because the residents petitioned the board to have the street paved,” he said.

Nelson said he regretted that the project had been delayed for so long. “I’m just sorry it took us a year,” he said. “It just got complicated.”

The road improvements were requested for a variety of reasons.

“Some of it has to do with aesthetics, some people would prefer seeing a paved surface,” Seiz said. “For some folks, it’s an air quality issue. … A paved road rides better than a gravel road.”

For Alderman Mark Chilton, the biggest benefit is dust reduction.

“There’s quite a bit of dirt that’s kicked up, especially in the summer, and it’s kind of a problem.”

Chilton, who recused himself from the hearing because of a working relationship with a resident of the road, added that the method of paying for the project also was attractive to him.

“If they want to pay for it, I’m definitely in favor of that.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.