Now that the exit road construction has been started, we
have found out the road and the base to the existing road are not in good shape,
much like the rest of our community. We made the decision to move forward
with the complete removal of the existing exit road as well as the side parking
lot of the community office. Our goal was to fix this road so that it
will last for years to come, and not a quick fix we would have to fixed again in
the near-term.
I have a couple bullets points of why we felt the need to do
the entire road and not just the original two areas that we originally addressed.
- The existing road had little to no base and was not going to hold up for long. We have been doing patch work in the community for years and it is now time to start stepping up and fixing things the proper way when and where we can.
- The existing asphalt road has over a 4” hump in the center of the road which was making the new concrete match that hump, which would not have given us a slightly slopped road in order to divert the water run off properly and the way it should be done.
- The contractor already had his equipment here and it was time to make a deal that was good for the community and the longevity of the road. This represented a savings of almost 15% less than if we had waited until another date to do the work.
- The reason why we are going with concrete over asphalt is the durability, and the longer life that we will get out of this road. First impression is always nice, the heavy trucks and vehicles that enter and exit our community do a lot of wear and tear on the main part of our exit and entrance.
What’s Next
- Our long-term goal is to do the same with the entrance
and making it appealing to the eye for members and their guest as well and the
durability that concrete brings to the table. We will evaluate this area
strongly and once again get the proper bids and get the best for our community.
- While we secure bids to address the rapidly
decaying entrance road, we will also be shoring up the Entrance Gate
electronics that will improve gate performance/reliability and improve traffic
flow into our community.
- As presented at the ILPOA Quarterly Member
Meeting, after the exit road is completed, we will be installing the exit gate
arm. The new gate arm will accomplish the following:
- Quicker Open & Close Cycle – this will allow
traffic flow quicker, and address people trying to access the community by
attempting to go in through the exit lane.
- Exit Gate Arm will be made of steel and if
someone tries to illegally enter the community through the one-way road, they
could be subject to damage to their vehicle.
We will have the necessary signage, and ILPOA will not be responsible
for any damage.
- We also mentioned in the ILPOA Quarterly Member
Meeting that the existing spikes that were removed for the new gate arm and will
be relocated to other areas to address illegal entry into our community. This will attempt to address the concerns of
our members regarding other entry points into our community.
Your Board hopes from the work that is being
done that you will see we are listening to our members, adjust our plans,
responsibly spend “our” money, and achieve our goal to better secure our
community.