Alabaster declares Grande View roads unsatisfactory
Published 8:51 pm Thursday, July 15, 2010
Alabaster officials are seeking more than $48,000 in bond money from the Birmingham-based developer of the Grande View Estates subdivision off Shelby County 12.
The announcement came after the Alabaster City Council agreed during a July 15 meeting to declare the roads in the sixth and seventh phases of the neighborhood unsatisfactory.
By declaring the two phases non-compliant, the city has now declared all roads in Grande View Estates to be unsatisfactory, and is seeking legal action against the subdivision’s developer, Charles Givianpour of Birmingham.
“Parts of the roads have been repaired, but they have not been inspected by our city engineers,” Steve Sims, Alabaster’s building official, said as he showed the council a slideshow depicting buckled asphalt, potholes and damaged curbs throughout the neighborhood.
“These are the last two sections of the subdivision that the city has not had a show cause on,” said City Attorney Jeff Brumlow. “We want to try to combine these two sections with the council’s previous actions in this neighborhood and seek bonds on all of them.”
Before Givianpour began developing the neighborhood, he pledged bond money to guarantee the subdivision’s streets would be brought to the city’s standards.
Because he has not built the roads to city specifications, the city is now seeking about $48,000 in bonds guaranteed for the subdivision’s sixth and seventh phases.
However, the actual cost for the city to repair the roads in the two phases will be about $15,000 more than the bond amounts, Sims said.
“We have seen these problems continue to develop in Grande View,” said Brumlow said, noting the city will take custody of the roads after it repairs them. “There is not a mechanism in place for the city to recoup its losses.”
In other business, the council:
– Accepted a $101,964 bid from Universal Pipeline to relocate city sewer lines along Shelby County 17.
The city must move the lines to allow the Alabama Department of Transportation to complete a widening project on the road. The cost of relocating the lines will be recouped by ALDOT, said Ward 7 Councilman Tommy Ryals.
– Accepted a $47,532 bid from the Montgomery-based Publications Press to print the city’s monthly color newsletter.
– Rezoned about 7 acres of land at 1751 Fulton Springs Road from a business zoning to a residential zone.
– Heard Alabaster Mayor David Frings read a proclamation honoring city resident Taylor Miller, who was recently selected as a Summer X Games alternate.