The Fast Buck Stops Here

After approving yet another $75,000 consulting contract without discussion or thought on Thursday, the Fayetteville City Council will spend most of the evening dealing with the results of developers who cut corners and took big profits, leaving the property owners or taxpayers with the bill for damages.

First up is the unfinished business of a request for a $69, 674 no-bid contract to dredge a private lake owned by the Boardwalk POA. Estimates are that 400 dump truck loads of soil carried by storm water runoff from the Summersby development has filled the lake. The developer and home builders did no more than required and generally ignored the problems with runoff and erosion resulting from their attitudes and construction practices. Unchecked and irresponsible practices to maximize immediate profits by developers yet again have created a problem, and someone else is left to pay the price. The Council will decide whether to spend our tax dollars to improve their private lake or let the private property owners take care of their own property.

Under new business, the Council will be looking at approving a design to save Red Oak Park from the massive erosion caused by storm water runoff from three subdivisions out west off Wedington Road. Once again, this problem was created by developers who were much more interested in quick profits instead of taking responsible measures to reduce runoff. This one will eventually cost taxpayers about $70,000 to save the public park.

These experiences with the environmental and financial consequences of “developers” who take the money and run, should be obvious to the City Council when it considers supporting road impact fees for developers and a request to give a special time extension for the debacle called Aspin Ridge. It might also be worth considering storm water runoff fees for developers who are adding all of the impervious surfaces and profiting from risky hillside construction. We all live downstream.