Powersite Sewer Project update for March 2013!

I thought it a good time to write about the Powersite North Sanitary Sewer Improvements Project as it's been a couple of years since my last post on this riveting topic. First off, it turns out that getting all those easements done may have taken the Great River Associates a bit longer than they anticipated.  An excerpt taken from their webpage provided me with a clue:

5. When will construction start?

“The construction of the project will be bid once the design is complete, a Missouri Department of Natural Resources Permit is obtained, and necessary easements and property have been acquired.  At this time, it is expected that the project will be bid in late 2011.  The biggest variable in determining this time is the easement and property acquisition phase of the project.  Construction is expected to commence within 60 to 90 days after bidding.”

  Uh, that was like two years ago! In addition, a recent newspaper article which was published on February 1, 2013 in the Branson TriLakes News indicated they were only ‘roughly 30% through the easement process’! (At that rate, one has to wonder if this project, which started in 2008, will see completion prior to the end of the current decade). Out of curiosity, I did try checking the calendar they used to maintain on their site, but that too has been removed!

So, when I recently received paperwork in the mail asking me to sign over my land rights to the GRA so they could establish both a temporary construction and permanent easements, I already had a few questions. For one thing, after inspecting a aerial map they sent me, I took note of the fact that the placement of the property lines appear to lie over and occlude the same land easements that the Corps of Engineers maintain. Did they get an easement signed that covered this Federal easement? I don’t know.

Another question that arose in my mind concerns the sewer line branch that enters my property. After looking at the aerial map they sent, it appears to be 20 feet off to the west of where it should be to put it in line with the sewer connection to the house! Now, while I’m certainly no engineer - that just seems wrong somehow.

Finally, and justifiably so, other residents that live on the same street as myself are wondering what will happen when this group begins trenching. To my uneducated eye, it appears as though they plan to dig somewhere along the road that goes in front of my house. On one side exists a water utility easement and on the other are power lines. So, where is that trench going to go? (As a side note, it would be great if they could replace the aging water delivery infrastructure while they're doing all this).

Like I said, I have a lot of questions as do most of the neighbors I’ve talked with. To that end, I called Shawn Berry the Project Manager at (417) 886-7171 to take them up on their promise to come out an meet me to help answer all my questions. I did note that they would prefer to meet with each homeowner on an ‘individual’ basis. I'm looking forward to a re-post after this meeting takes place!