(Orleans)– A road construction project on the south side of Big Spirit Lake may have just been dealt a setback. Orleans Mayor Bill Maas tells KUOO news he was notified this (Sunday) morning someone had moved barricades in the road construction zone on 140th Street where some paving was done a few days ago…
“That’s against the law to do, first of all. Secondly, we don’t want to damage this concrete and have to re-do part of it and stuff because of the fact that somebody got a little too rambunctious and maybe got a little selfish in the process. I understand myself, you know, because we’ve been through it on our street, that it causes inconvenience but for heaven’s sake let’s not go out and start moving barriers and taking it up on ourselves. That’s happened to us once before in Orleans and cost us several hundred thousand dollars in the process.”
Maas says as of now (Sunday) they are unsure if any damage was done. He says it hasn’t been decided yet as to whether or not a criminal investigation will be launched. Maas says it likely will be up to the contractor to make that decision…
“The contractor is in charge of the road. You know, that’s what we do, we sign the contract and the area is given to the contractor to control during that because he, they have a vested interest also. But should they want to prosecute, I would certainly, myself as an individual, be in favor of it because of the fact that we just can’t do these things. Everybody has to live together and one person shouldn’t take it upon themselves to change things.”
Maas says the goal was to have the road completed enough to at least drive on by the 4th of July. Depending upon the extent of any damage, he says that could now be jeopardized.
