Frequently Asked Questions
Why not include Townsend Forest Rd. in this campaign?
First, there was no decision made to deliberately EXCLUDE Townsend Forest Rd. It needs fixing, too, but presently it seems to be in a much more stable condition than Oak Valley Ln. Those of us who have taken the lead role on the Oak Valley effort are familiar with the history of this section of road, and there are relatively few complications. For example, we know for a fact that Oak Valley Ln. was originally paved by a state-approved contractor and was in compliance with state requirements so that it would be eligible for the state to take over maintenance. Townsend Forest Rd. was developed first by different management. We don’t know if it originally was built to state specs. It also involves a pretty large culvert carrying significant water beneath the road that has traditionally been a sore spot. Is this culvert sized properly? Is it correctly designed and supported?
It is our opinion that Townsend Forest Rd. is definitely a great candidate for repair with the goal to be for it also to be accepted into DOT maintenance. Hopefully in the groundwork we’ve laid with the Oak Valley Ln. campaign, contacts and procedures have been established. We would be in full support of a similar effort for Townsend Forest Rd.
Why are we limiting this campaign to just immediate Townsend Forest residents? Townsend Forest Rd., Oak Valley Ln. and French Dr. are a cut-through that lots of of people use. Commuters use it. County Schools use it. Construction and similar heavy vehicles use it. Delivery services (UPS, Amazon, FedEx) use it. Emergency services (fire, ambulances) use it. Shouldn’t they also contribute $ to fix the road?
It’s very hard to figure out ways to market this campaign beyond residents. I (Kent) had the idea of setting up a toll gate at the intersection of Oak Valley and French Drive and collect fifty cents from every vehicle that wants to pass. But that got shut down fast.
People have mentioned contacting 2 Wants to Know, posting to Next Door, contacting county commissioners, contacting Guilford Count Schools, etc. If someone thinks these could be productive, have at it. Harrell and I have invested a great deal of time and our own money to this point to purchase the paveovl.com URL, build the website, create and print flyers and posters, etc. We’ve made what we believe to be cogent decisions and stick by those. It is our assertion that there are enough neighborhood residents to make this happen if there is truly a desire to make it happen. If not, it dies on the vine.
Why do we have to do this at all? Won’t the road eventually get so bad that the State or some other government entity will step in and do something?
Short answer is that we DON’T have to do anything. But Tricia and I have lived in this neighborhood since 1987, and so far the DOT has not caved on the issue. While the reasons that this short section of road did not receive the same treatment by the State as the rest of the road system is murky at best. And it seems grossly unfair. Consider someone like me who has faithfully paid NC State income tax and countless NC gasoline tax, yet only 1/3 of the road in front of my house is state maintained.
The time is critical for this to get repaired so that when the State comes through on its regular paving regimen (scheduled for the next couple of years) all roads will be eligible.
If we pay to do the repairs the State of NC DOT has indicated, what assurance do we have that they’ll actually take over this road section? The downoad letter from the DOT engineer doesn’t say it will.
Very good point! We really didn’t catch that, so we’ve gone back to the DOT with the request that another letter be provided that will clarify this. As soon as we receive that, we’ll post it here. We have suggested that they address such points as these:
>>After repairs are made, what’s next? Will the DOT come out and inspect to ensure that repairs are sufficient?
>>Will paperwork need to be filed by residents or representatives of Townsend Forest specifically requesting that the state take over maintenance? Since we don’t have an HOA or other governing body, who would be empowered to do this?
>>What is a reasonable timetable for when we could expect the section of road to be “taken over” by the state?
If we are successful in getting pledges to fund the campaign, how will we pay? Who is going to handle the money?
Honestly we have not given that a lot of thought yet. We have kind of looked at this as a three-point campaign.
1. Publicize it.
2. Seek pledges.
3. If pledges meet the $13,500 cost of the project, we’ll figure out who will oversee the collection of funds. No reason to worry about that unless we get sufficient pledges.
My property doesn’t front the section of road that’s in bad shape. Why am I being asked to help fund the repair? I don’t even use that part of the road.
I have difficulty knowing how to respond to this point. We all live in a neighborhood…not on little islands. Sometimes we need to consider things that affect the greater good. We are fortunate that we don’t have to fork over a hundred or more dollars a month to an HOA that might possibly have salted away funds that could be handling this. But HOAs often hold citizens in an unwelcome choke collar and/or fail through mismanagement with collected funds mysteriously disappearing.
This is a one-time ask with everlasting impact. We believe that everyone who lives in Townsend Forest will benefit as well as even the infrequent visitor. The decision, to participate is yours. You are not compelled to support this.