New Properties Present Challenges for Lakeland
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
The owners were contacted because their properties had been excluded from district plans and funding, either because easements were not signed for their properties or they are the new owners. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is funding the project through a loan and grant combination, allowed the board to come up with a procedure for the owners to join now at their own expense.
The next step is to contact the owners and conduct site visits to determine how they can receive service, and to send that information to the contractors now on-site, said Casey Erwin with project engineer DLZ. Each site presents its own challenge – such as a Shoe Lake property whose owners will have to decide if it’s best to tap into a neighbor’s grinder pump or install their own – but Erwin said they’re trying to minimize costs for homeowners as much as possible.
The board also heard that collections agency Jones Petrie Rafinski sent 120 late notices to property owners who have never paid any bills and received “quite a few” responses, according to Jennifer Ransbottom with JPR. Another handful came back undeliverable, she said.
The agency will send letters Monday to anyone who still hasn’t paid to inform them a lien will be placed on their property to recover the debt, and then the liens will be filed April 4, she said.
Also Thursday, the board approved up to $20,000 for DLZ to conduct at least one open workshop for contractors and individuals to go over standards and specifications for sewer and electrical hookups. The district can provide homeowners with the list of contractors who attended the workshop, though member Bob Sanders noted it’s not an endorsement of any contractor and that they won’t turn down anyone who didn’t attend.
The first workshop is expected to be set for July or August, and the first connections will be made in January 2017 at the earliest.
And the board approved pay applications from Selge Construction, for $2,850 for part A of the collection system and $678,000 for part B; from Advanced Reconstruction Technology, for $178,000 for part C; and from R.E. Crosby Inc., for $508,000 for the wastewater treatment plant. Erwin noted that based on contract dollars, the project is about 43 percent complete.[[In-content Ad]]
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The owners were contacted because their properties had been excluded from district plans and funding, either because easements were not signed for their properties or they are the new owners. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is funding the project through a loan and grant combination, allowed the board to come up with a procedure for the owners to join now at their own expense.
The next step is to contact the owners and conduct site visits to determine how they can receive service, and to send that information to the contractors now on-site, said Casey Erwin with project engineer DLZ. Each site presents its own challenge – such as a Shoe Lake property whose owners will have to decide if it’s best to tap into a neighbor’s grinder pump or install their own – but Erwin said they’re trying to minimize costs for homeowners as much as possible.
The board also heard that collections agency Jones Petrie Rafinski sent 120 late notices to property owners who have never paid any bills and received “quite a few” responses, according to Jennifer Ransbottom with JPR. Another handful came back undeliverable, she said.
The agency will send letters Monday to anyone who still hasn’t paid to inform them a lien will be placed on their property to recover the debt, and then the liens will be filed April 4, she said.
Also Thursday, the board approved up to $20,000 for DLZ to conduct at least one open workshop for contractors and individuals to go over standards and specifications for sewer and electrical hookups. The district can provide homeowners with the list of contractors who attended the workshop, though member Bob Sanders noted it’s not an endorsement of any contractor and that they won’t turn down anyone who didn’t attend.
The first workshop is expected to be set for July or August, and the first connections will be made in January 2017 at the earliest.
And the board approved pay applications from Selge Construction, for $2,850 for part A of the collection system and $678,000 for part B; from Advanced Reconstruction Technology, for $178,000 for part C; and from R.E. Crosby Inc., for $508,000 for the wastewater treatment plant. Erwin noted that based on contract dollars, the project is about 43 percent complete.[[In-content Ad]]
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