Get ready

This will be a sticky post, staying on top for a while for visibility.  Look past this post for newer posts.

There’s been a drive by video on Mar 18, on Mar 30 temp take staking started, next will come tree marking, then tree clearing, then clearing the south side tree lawns.  So what should you do?  Sit back and hope for 2012 (the end of the Mayan calendar) to arrive soon?  NO! There’s plenty to do.

Stay Informed

Give the city your email address and watch for their email updates.  Let your neighbors who don’t have email know what you find out from city emails.  Have the BB Rd hotline near your phone, better yet, on speed dial.

Watch this website and its twitter feed.  This blog’s twitter feed is seen on the side bar as Latest News, clicking it will take you to the full history.  You can also look at the announcement page of the companion web site for file updates or new pages added.

If you’d like to do some of your own research, look at the companion site’s links page.

Watch the city’s website and the county’s twitter feed.  The county’s twitter feed is seen on the side bar as From the county, clicking it will take you to the full history.

Neighborhood Watch is used to reduce crime.  This project will need a similar process to reduce property damage and increase communication.  Let your neighbors know when the construction activity is getting close to them, when crews are on their property, so they can be ready for construction impacts like Utility outages, blocked driveways, property destruction.  Sure, the contractor is SUPPOSED to notify you of these things, do you think they always will?

Read the Solon Times, they do thorough reporting on this project.

Let us all know what you learn, by comment or email.

Document

Document the current condition of your property.  For some of us in Phase 1 plenty of destruction has already occurred, but a little late is better than never.  Before they cut trees, dig up landscaping take video and/or photos.

Once again, the county (and city) are supposed to do this.  The county already has, a slow moving van with a video tape, when most of the right of way and construction limits aren’t even marked.  Will this be of any use to you, to protect your property?  Probably not!

Take photos and video from various angle.  From across the street, wide angle, from your front door, wide angle.  Closer shots showing details of landscaping elements.  Other angles dependent on your particular property.

New electronics and digital cameras make this easy.  Many of us have them, some don’t, help your neighbors out if your equipment is easier to use than theirs.

First Entry

Your OR Colan agreement was for 24 months from first entry.  Its likely going to be longer.  They may make it difficult to collect your share of what could be a $100K cost over run, but if you don’t record their first entry on your lands you know you won’t have a chance of collecting.

Writing

Don’t ask verbal questions, put it in writing.  By writing, I include email.  Don’t get verbal answers, get it in writing.  If they won’t write the answer, put your understanding of their answer in writing.  To whom?  We haven’t got an email contact from the county yet, we only have the field office fax.  You should also keep our city officials up to date.  Depending on the issue that could be the Public Works director or the City Engineer.  Your councilman is someone else to consider.

Stakes

The South Side Construction “Limits” were staked.  Some let these fall out, some thought they got in the way of mowing.  These will become important.  We may not be allowed to remove them, and in certain situations it may be advantageous for us.  The stakes show where the construction zone ends and your private property begins, if the stake is missing they can claim ignorance of being on or damaging your private property.

Many things can be staked, temp road, sidewalks, construction limits.  The temp take goes a short distance (3-5 ft) beyond the the construction limits.  There has been a problem with the stakes underestimating the boundaries compared to the OR Colan documents.  New 3 ft yellow ribbon stakes are now accurately marking the temporary easement (temp take) for Phase 1.

It will be important to protect Underground Utility markers and to be generally aware of where they are to reduce the likelihood of an unscheduled Utility disruption.

Prepare

If there is anything within the construction limits that you want saved, move it now.  Eminent Domain laws mean the county owns what ever is on that land now.  If you want it, move it.

If its close to the construction limits, its probably within the temp take and isn’t safe.  Even if its on your side of the temp take line (which has never been staked) its a risk of a “mistake”. If you want it, move it.

The construction plan notes state residents would be given a two week notice and then their mailboxes would be removed and DISPOSED OF.  The Mayor and county say that isn’t the case.  Neither of them seem to have read the construction plan notes.  The Aug 2008 and Feb 2009 updates are posted on the companion web site.

Underground Utilities

Some Utilities, especially ATT & Time Warner Cable are very shallow.  In an attempt to stay in the perm right of way there are conflicts between these and the new temp drainage ditch (south side).   Even  above ground transformers and underground electric service chambers are close to the drainage ditch.

Yard Drainage

Bainbridge Road has several nearby creeks that present flood risks and drainage problems.  Many homes have some form of yard drainage that you may not be aware of.  The most advanced are connected to storm sewers, some empty into the roadside drainage ditch, many may be overgrown or may take some less obvious route.

Early in the project the drainage ditches  will be filled in.  If you have yard drainage going into the ditch it will be blocked causing water to back up in the piping into your yard, and likely near your home.

Heavy equipment and new road pavement may crush piping, even if it goes into storm sewers.

The construction notes call for the contractor to repair and connect any drainage into the closed sewer system, IF THEY KNOW ABOUT IT!

Before the ditch is filled in, carefully inspect it to find yard drainage.  Document its existence, take measurements or mark where it is using landmarks that won’t be destroyed in the construction.  This will be a bigger challenge on the south side where the ditch will be up to 30 feet from the construction limits.

Did I forget anything?  Let me know by comment or email.

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