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~.~~. <br />2 <br />Aurham County will be paved this year. He emphasized the disadvantages of <br />living on a dirt road and feels tax dollars could be used for this paving. <br />There is one church located on this portion of Bivens Road. <br />Chair Willhoit pointed out that the County does not put money into <br />maintaining roads. The County does have a revolving xund which the County <br />will make available for participatory paving projects whereby the property <br />owner pays the cost back over a period of five (5) years. <br />:, Criteria used for prioritizing roads include (1) traffic count <br />• (average 24 hour traffic volume), (2) number of school buses, and (3) number <br />of homes, schools, businesses or industries and is done according to a point <br />system and ranked accordingly. The formula is constantly bea.ng reviewed and <br />any input will be considered. A farm is not considered a business. <br />Reverend ~Nilliam Richardson, Mt. Bright Baptist Church, speaking <br />for the citizens of the County, questioned the inequity i.n the system and <br />noted that these citizens would like to speak to that system for prioritizing <br />their roads and suggested the County Commissioners «ppoint a citizens' <br />committee to function on behalf and in the interest of all the people in <br />Orange County. <br />TNilliam Dorsett asked about SR 1360 which is 66 on the priority <br />list. He requested to have the road widened and paved if possible. .I]r. <br />Watkins e~:plained the procedure on the dirt roads with ditches is to bring <br />the rock and.other material up out of the ditches onto the side and let it <br />dry and then spread it on the side of the road. <br />Dr. ?Nilson noted that on SR1712, there are 22 houses plus a <br />subdivision on an adjoining private road with 15 houses. The priority rating <br />for this road dropped frog. 14 to 21. <br />• A gentleman from Lee's Chapel Road which has five (5) houses, (1) <br />church and (2> horse trails thereon expressed his views of being penalized <br />by the point system. The people traveling must often stop for the horses. <br />The traffic is heavy on Sunday. Also, at the church pastoral and <br />evangelistic training schools are held. <br />Mrs. Thong talked with reference to Lonesome Road, Harnony Church <br />Road and Poteat and would appreciate consideration 'for paving one o£ these <br />roads to help eliminate the wear and tear an the cars. She would like to <br />have Lonesome Road paved and the other two roads upgraded. <br />Chair ti•7illhoit explained that state funds which are allocated to <br />each county are based upon that counties' proportional share of unpaved roads <br />in the state and that portion of the state funds which are allocated for such <br />improvements. This Public Hearing is an opportunity far the citizens to <br />voice their concerns and to find out how these priorities are made. <br />- Mrs. Hadley talked about the bad road conditions in Efland Estates <br />and in particular Richmond Road.. She requested that this road be added to <br />the list for upgrading. <br />1•ir. Roy AicAdoo, .7r. , wha lives on Road X1315 in Cheeks Township <br />next to the Efland Cheeks School noted that the school buses use this road <br />constantly. In checking with the Department of Transportation ir. Washington <br />he indicated that if consideration is not given to adding this road to the <br />list, there are additional steps he cauld take. <br />Watkins indicated that Congress many years ago, set forth a <br />priority system for the states to follow. The criteria for this priority <br />system is left to the discretion of the Department of Transportation in each <br />state,- and that Department of~ Transportation is constantly upgrading the <br />