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Article Courtesy of The
Daytona Beach News-Journal
By Katie Kustura
Published January 9, 2020
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ORANGE CITY — Governments and private streets don’t merge much these days — when
a restricted roadway needs repairs, it’s up to the property owner or respective
homeowners’ association.
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But with neither
working out on Kentucky Avenue, the City Council unanimously
voted to have the city come to the rescue out of concern for
residents’ safety.
Fixing the sidewalk and repairing the potholes, as well as
replacing the collapsed drainage pipes that have caused the
potholes, will cost $68,750, City Manager Dale Arrington
told the council.
“For 30 years, it has been a private road that has not been
maintained,” Arrington said. “And now you’re having to
figure out a way to deal with that because nobody else can.”
The city has been unable to coordinate getting the work
covered because there are multiple property owners, some of
whom don’t live in the area.
Arrington emphasized that the repairs would be a temporary
fix.
“We have not done a long-term engineering study as to what
needs to be done to correct the problem on a permanent
basis,” Arrington said.
Kentucky Avenue falls in the district of
Councilman Jim Mahoney who felt they were dealing with
competing principles: the obligation to provide public
safety safety services versus the use of public funds for
private road maintenance and repairs. |
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Dead Palm fonds fill a large recurring pothole on the
eastern side of South Kennedy Avenue in Orange City.
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“I object to the use of public funds on private property, just as everyone
does, but I think our obligation to provide these services trumps that
objection,” Mahoney said during the Dec. 10 council meeting.
Councilwoman Kelli Marks, who said she visited the site, agreed that the
primary concern is residents’ safety.
“If we need to do a temporary fix, I think that’s a good idea, to get things
started at least until we can come up with a solution to the problem,” Marks
said. “That may take 20 years, but at least we can do something to show that
we do care about public safety.”
The councilwoman’s comments garnered applause from meeting attendees, some
of whom live in communities located off Kentucky.
Doris Powell addressed the council on behalf of the homeowners’ association
for Country Village, a manufactured-home community for seniors. She also
gave the council a petition with 300-plus signatures from residents asking
for the city’s help in fixing the roadway.
“It’s the only entrance and exit that we have, and as you know, your police
and fire use it all the time,” Powell said.
Orange City resident Steven Sanders spoke against the city paying to fix the
problem out of concern that a similar situation could occur again in the
future.
“I know there’s 300 signatures, but there are more than 300 people in this
city,” Sanders said. “I definitely agree safety is important, but where do
you draw the line?”
It wasn’t immediately clear when the work could start as the city will need
to obtain temporary construction easements from the respective property
owners.
Arrington said in the future, the council can consider levying a special
assessment tax on the area that would help finance issues such as this.
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