Street benefit district eyed for Hesper

Eudora Planning Commission Chairman Kurt von Achen told Douglas County commissioners that he was going to be nice at their Wednesday night meeting.

But the discussion of creating a street benefit district for a community in the Eudora Township apparently got the best of him.

“I tried to be nice, but I can’t,” he said. “I think what the commission should be concerned about is the rural subdivisions. People want to move to the country, and then they want city services. It’s a problem for all of us.”

On Wednesday, county commissioners approved a charter resolution to form a street benefit district in the Hesper community.

Most of the residents in the Hesper community, located in the Eudora Township, want about three miles’ worth of road near the intersection of North 1100 Road and County Road 1061 paved because of dust and the growing population in the area.

Von Achen said the Eudora Planning Commission didn’t oppose creating the Hesper street benefit district, but said county officials needed to be more careful about how they allowed rural subdivisions to develop.

Commission Chairman Charles Jones said he couldn’t agree more.

“But I think this is a step in the right direction because the county isn’t going in and paving the road,” Jones said.

By creating a road benefit district, the initial road improvement project would be funded by the residents, along with the upkeep and maintenance of the roads. The residents in the area would pay for the road improvements, which is estimated at $230,000, over a 10-year period.

People attending the meeting had concerns over who would maintain the road — the county or the township.

Those details haven’t been worked out, county officials said, but will be dealt with if the resolution goes through.

Before the district is formed, County Engineer Keith Browning said engineering and cost information had to be filed with the county clerk’s office. Browning said he wasn’t sure when that information would be submitted, but it should be soon. Once the information is filed, there will be a 30-day protest period.