Unexpected solutions

The road troubles on Canyon Road reached an unexpected resolution on Tuesday when the Sundance City Council and landowners representing the subdivision turned out to have reached exactly the same conclusion.

Back in April, the melting snow revealed significant damage to the asphalt in two places at the top of the road. However, while the city did the paving, the area of asphalt in question lies outside city limits, prompting Mayor Paul Brooks to question whether the city should be spending money and resources to fix it.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Public Works Director Mac Erickson shared his findings that the two spots could be sawed, cut and prepped for $5700 if the city crew performs the work. The asphalt appears to be in good shape aside from those two spots and the investment could potentially gain several years of life for the road.

The suggestion was then made that landowners purchase the new asphalt for the repair, as it should not be the city’s responsibility. However, this solution had been reached as a compromise on the assumption that Sundance West landowners would want the paved road to remain in place.

Actually, said Sarah Fleenor and Tom Adams, subdivision residents are ready to see the asphalt removed completely. Adams noted that the damage has increased considerably since the road was inspected to create the cost estimate and will probably continue to decline.

This will likely not be the last time the discussion comes up, even if the road is repaired, said Fleenor. She offered the alternative suggestion that the city be responsible for removing the asphalt – which belongs to the city – and pouring a concrete abutment, while the landowners would contract Timberline Services to transform it into a gravel road.

“I think that’s the long term answer. Otherwise, two years from now, we’re going to be back here,” nodded Erickson.

The council agreed that the asphalt should be torn up as soon as possible, preferably before Timberline Services performs its annual maintenance on the subdivision’s roads. A motion was passed to approve the solution.