Great Hill Road has become so dangerous that Nancy Schmitt won’t even drive on it any more.
Schmitt, who is a member of the Board of Finance, said the road is deteriorated.
Selectman Dave McKane agreed the road is bad.
“Sometimes I drive it several times a day and some parts are a nightmare,’‘ he said.
Schmitt and other finance board members met with the Board of Selectmen Monday night to talk about fixing about 1 mile of the road from the Seymour town line (near Peach Farm Road) to Route 67 in Oxford.
Neither board took any action.
First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers said the selectmen would like to ask taxpayers in a referendum vote to approve spending $1.2 million to take off the old tar, repave the road and fix drainage problems. She said the town would bond the project over 20 years, thus limiting the impact on the local taxpayer.
“We have received more calls and comments (on this road) over the past couple of years than any other roads,’‘ Drayton-Rogers told the Finance Board. “It’s a safety issue. The road is bumpy and wavy and in some areas motorists are being pushed into oncoming traffic.”
Drayton-Rogers said that if the project is approved it could begin in the spring of 2011 and finish sometime in the summer.
Town Finance Director James Hliva told both board that if the town borrows money for the project it could cost taxpayers about $12.20 a year based on a home assessed at $200,000.
Town Bond Counsel Joseph Fasi said the time is right for the town to borrow money because rates are very low, about 2.5 percent interest, he said.
“This is the lowest I’ve seen in 30 years,’‘ said Fasi, who also said labor costs are lower due to the poor economy.
Lila Ferrillo, chairman of the Board of Finance said the meeting of the two boards was “informational only,’‘ and that no decision would be made at this time.
Drayton-Rogers said the Board of Selectmen will likely make a recommendation on the project at its meeting on Dec. 1. She said the Board of Finance now has 30 days to act on the project.
She said the town had sought some $500,000 in state funds for the project but were turned down. She said that if Seymour and Oxford combined efforts to maintain the road together, there could be a possibility both towns could get federal aid to maintain the road in the future.
She said both towns are working on this effort but said, “we were told it’s a long process.’‘
