Beach begins maintenance on town roads
Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 1:18 pm
The town of Colonial Beach has put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for work crews to do the repair work on town roads. Gary Seeber, chairman of the Public Works Committee, has recommended that unless a company is well known, and has a stellar reputation, that the work be broken down into smaller chunks so that the town does not get stuck with inferior work. Town Manager Valerie Foulds is also looking to hire employees to do the ditch work which is also part of the town taking over the majority of the roads from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The only roads that are still under VDOT’s maintenance are Colonial Avenue, state Rte. 205, and the Rte. 205 Y at the stop light.
Seeber also reported that a RFP for the work to be done to Meadow Avenue has been put out and the town is waiting for more bids before moving forward. The town wants to connect with whomever gets the contract to see what all can be done on the road with the money allotted. Meadow Avenue is 30 years old and is considered the worst road within town limits by many town citizens.
Other issues discussed at the recent Public Works Committee meeting include:
- The developers of Monroe Point have been working with the town in order to get the connection fees for their sprinkler system paid, as they have not been paid or at this point. The water bill for this system has also come in as three times the original estimate, so a new water meter is being looked into, as well as what is causing the overage.
- The issues brought up by William Flammer at the July Town Council meeting, in which he stated there was standing sewage at the former Eleanor Trailer Park was discussed. All sewage pipes have been cut off and capped. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not been in touch with the town, according to Seeber and Foulds. In an email from Foulds she stated that more work is in progress for the park, but due to multiple town events in July, and a limited number of employees, it had to be held off until after these events were finished.
- One further issue that Seeber addressed was town citizens being cited for failing to maintain their lawns and properties. It was recommended that the town not cite citizens until the town gets its own properties in order. “Citing people while we have ugly properties is not correct,” said Seeber. He further explained that while the Lions’ Club does lease their property from the town, it is still town property and needs to be kept up. Part of the lease agreement is supposed to be the proper care and upkeep of the grass and plants on the property.