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Valli Vue

Board Letter to LRSA, Regarding Ditch Rehabilitation

The Board's letter to the Valli Vue LRSA can be read below or downloaded as a PDF.


 


 

Valli Vue Local Road Service Area Board

Mike Markie, Jewell Jones, Ben Padgett, Paul Strand, and Kirk Warren


January 5, 2023


Subject: Valli Vue has a voice regarding completion of ditch rehabilitation


Dear Valli Vue LRSA Board,

Our conversations with Maury Robinson and two others in Municipal Public Works have provided some clarity regarding the contracting process and point to a path forward to finishing the ditch project in a way that most Valli Vue residents would find acceptable. Based on these conversations and provided contract documents, the process is as follows: 

  • Ditch rehabilitation is considered normal maintenance (some neighborhoods do this frequently) and therefore falls within the scope of the road maintenance services contract for Valli Vue. This contract was signed by the Muni and Northern Gravel in October 2020 for an initial one year of services with options to extend for four additional one-year periods. Contract documents identify the LRSA Board or their designee as the Administrator, who has the authority to direct strengthening or reshaping of shoulders, ditch work, and general road maintenance, and who can also specify the equipment to be used and the ditch segments to be addressed. 

  • Ditch specifications are not part of the contract. Maury Robinson has stated that the contractor is presumed to be familiar with Muni specifications and will conduct the work accordingly. He also stated that Northern Gravel has good reputation in this regard. 

  • Public works explained that the LRSA Board has the responsibility and authority to coordinate road-maintenance details with the contractor and thus determine how the LRSA budget is spent. The Muni just cares that its specs are met at a minimum, but the LRSA Board can go above and beyond those specs; the board controls how the ditches and roads will look.

Maury outlined the path forward: “The LRSA board should meet to consider whether rock removal, shouldering, topsoil, hydroseeding, etc. should be done to appease the residents.” He has heard from assembly members and a number of homeowners regarding the Valli Vue ditch issues and said he would be more than happy to find money to fund the work, but it is up to the LRSA Board to advocate for the desires of the homeowners.


Please develop a plan to bring this project to a successful conclusion. To date, all that has been promised is a little more digging and final contouring, followed by hydroseeding, with hints that some shoulder restoration will be done. The shoulder restoration in October was a good start, but much more needs to be done to address the concerns that you saw in our September 24, 2022 letter to the Muni:

  1. Restoration of 1-foot shoulders (or greater).

  2. Reduction of ditch depth to no more than 1.5 feet, where practical (e.g., away from culverts, but still maintaining a gradient for drainage).

  3. Final contouring and cleanup to remove loose rocks and roots and smooth transitions to adjacent landscaping.

  4. Addition of a suitable thickness of topsoil and seeding with grass.

Planning, budgeting, and securing additional funding (if needed) this winter would enable the project to wrap up in May/June 2023. Communicating the plan and schedule to the neighborhood will reassure homeowners that concerns with safety and property values are being addressed.


Thank you for your dedication to Valli Vue,


Scott Rees

President

907-885-7700

reesinalaska@gmail.com


Peter Katsur

Vice President

907-350-0406

peterkatsur@hotmail.com


David Ward

Treasurer

907-242-0775

dbward3e10@gmail.com


cc: Valli Vue residents, Maury Robinson (Municipal Public Works)

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