No early break for C-Bar

Freedom Holdings’ Greg Cottrell, partner in the C-Bar Estates development, is asking again for a temporary Certificate of Occupancy (CO) before the infrastructure is complete.

“At that point, the town will take it over with a warranty,” Pine Haven Mayor Karla Brandenburg explained at a recent workshop. “They want us to give one and keep asking us about that…They can’t sell any of those lots until they get a CO.”

Due to the ongoing problems the town has faced with the company, she and the council have been careful not to allow any premature release of responsibility from Freedom Holdings.

“We want to make sure everything gets finished the way we want it. We had told them that the only two things we would give them a CO for are the cement pads to Pine Haven Road and seeding and we’re getting to the time of year where I don’t know why we can’t do those,” Brandenburg stated. “Unless somebody has a different opinion, it’s going to be complete when we take it over.”

Her fellow council members unanimously concurred; as Councilman Tom Roberts said, “There’ve been too many things that have happened. There’s no reason not to make them finish it right.”

KO Construction crews are conducting their last compaction test this week and, as soon as the services are done, according to HDR Engineering’s Heath Turbiville, “[Duaine Fawcett of Water Guy LLC] will come back out and try to retest [the waterline pressure]. At that time we’ll have a walkthrough and everybody will be able to look at it.”

Councilman Rod Norton asked Turbiville his thoughts on the integrity of the infrastructure the town will be accepting: “Considering all the issues that has happened, do you think we’re going to have everything fixed and we’ll be able to make sure it’s all good?”

Turbiville spoke candidly, “Obviously, there’re parts of it that have problems and the fixes are not ever going to be as good as if it was done right the first time; but I think that through the video inspection, mandrel inspection and through the pressure testing, we’ll know that the sewer system is structurally sound.”

“The other thing that we’re working through right now, hard to answer is the waterline. Until we can get it pressure tested and checked to make sure it’s sound again, we don’t know for sure where it’s at this point.”

Brandenburg acknowledged the damage done by the contractor Swagger to the town’s water line by repeatedly breaking the pipes and the current efforts of KO.

“The only thing [Freedom Holdings is] doing is fixing their breaks and putting it back into the condition it was before they took over. The mistake the town has made, in my opinion, is we should have made them put in a whole new water system.”

The mayor has asked for a quote from Hot Iron, the contractor working on the Boe Drive Project this summer, for adding services to the individual property lines as part of that project. Turbiville agreed, “The town had set aside a certain amount to add to the Boe Drive Project costs, if necessary and it looks like the town will have to pay zero or very little.”

So barring unexpected complications, funding may be available for application to laying in the services to the individual curbstops (not on private lots).

The mayor said, “They’re going to be digging it up to put the fire hydrants in so, to me, this is the ideal time to do that…If we can keep it in our match that it was before because we were planning to spend that match money for the fire hydrants and for that project so if we can stay within that money, then it’s only the money we were planning on spending anyway.” There are 30 services.

Norton advocated the idea as well: “If it’s doable and a good way to spend our money, it would be a really good idea.”

This quote will not cost the town and if the estimate is too high, the council is not obliged to accept.

The other problem with granting Freedom Holdings a CO currently is the lack of electricity to the property. According to Turbiville, “Powder River needs to do some work yet on the electrical and my opinion is that we’re going to need a letter from Powder River to say we’re at the point that we can provide the electrical service to the subdivision before the CO is given to the developer…They’re going to have to have electricity available.”

Pine Haven’s council agreed to withhold the CO until completion of all work and a letter from Powder River ensuring power to the property.