Roslyn Estates officials on Monday discussed an estimated $1 million road repair project to fix some of the worst roads in the village.
The plan includes about 30 percent of the eight miles of roads in the village, and will likely happen over the course of two months this coming spring, Mayor Jeffrey Schwartzberg said.
“We have a perception that the roads are in somewhat rough condition, and they’re going to need to be redone,” he said.
The village board recently brought in two engineering firms to assess the roads, and they provided an evaluation listing areas most in need of fixing, Schwartzberg said.
Trustees Rodney Khazzam and Paul Peters, who are a part of the road improvement committee, will determine which roads are selected for the project at an upcoming meeting.
The project will be largely funded by a bond of about $750,000 to $800,000 if the total bill comes in around $1 million, Schwartzberg said.
The rest will be funded by state grants and village reserve funds, he said.
Schwartzberg said the most important goal is to have the work done before summer starts so it doesn’t inconvenience residents.
“This board’s very sensitive to having a lot of construction in the village in the summertime,” he said. “We don’t like that, people should enjoy their homes, so were going to try to get it done in the spring.”
Because the board will have to borrow what amounts to half of the village budget, Schwartzberg said, he will bring the plan to a public hearing in November or December to get residents’ input.
At the start of next year, the project will go to bid, and the target date to start work is for April or May, he said.
If it appears that the project will extend into the summer months, Schwartzberg said, the board may stop work and resume in the fall, or just move the entire project after summer.
“I want to make sure the job is very well coordinated to have minimal impact on the residents, because when you start ripping up roads, I don’t want people calling saying they can’t get out of their house, they’re being blocked, or there’s a ditch, whatever,” he said. “It’s got to be done with the utmost respect for the residents.”
