Deferred to Ditched: City Council Nixes Three Potential Road Projects

Despite having the funds to complete them, three ditch projects deferred during winter budget talks were formerly abandoned Monday during a special meeting. 

Renovations to ditches along High Road, Poplar Lane and Bentley Avenue depended on about $2.8 million in revenues the city anticipated during 2011, City Administrator Bryon Vana said during the budget discussions.

The city hasn’t yet received all of that money from the expected sale of properties to and , as well as savings from closing Darien’s police dispatch center.

But a draft audit of fiscal year 2011 showed about $1 million more in the city’s general fund balance than expected, Vana wrote in a Thursday memo.

That extra cash would allow the city to proceed with $620,000 in ditch projects regardless of whether or when the other revenues arrive, Vana wrote.

The unanticipated revenues came from a variety of sources. More than $110,000 of the increase was tied to telecommunications taxes, while about $142,000 came from higher sales tax revenue.

Alderman John Poteraske questioned during Monday’s meeting the prudence of spending a yearly average of $600,000 on ditch repairs.

While the city has approved a similar figure during the past several years, Vana said it has not made a long-term commitment to do so. Darien officials have said under ideal circumstances the city would update all roads and ditches by 2023.

“The [$600,000] figure is an estimate of an average of what we’ve been spending each year,” Alderman Joe Marchese said. “Some years might be much less than that.” 

Poteraske said he believes there’s no reason to repair ditches at the rate the city has been doing so in recent years. 

Municipal Services is developing a drainage ditch rating system this summer that would prioritize ditches for repairs. 

Alderman Halil Avci said he thinks the city needs to delay the ditch projects until the priority list is complete.

“If we spend money on these ditches, we’re saying they’re more important than the ones coming next year or the year after,” he said. 

Vana cautioned against delaying the ditch repairs too long because it would subsequently delay associated road repairs.

Ditch reconstruction precedes repairs on adjacent streets by one year so as to prolong the life of the street repairs, Public Works Director Dan Gombac said. Many of the ditches haven’t been updated since they were first constructed more than 40 years ago, he said.

As roads deteriorate, Vana said repairs become proportionately more substantial.

“Part of the method is to get a lot of these roads before the underpart of the road goes bad,” he said. 

The ditch proposal failed by a vote of three opposed and four in favor. A super majority of at least five alderman in favor was required to advance to measure to the next city council meeting for formal approval. Avci, Poteraske and Alderwoman Sylvia McIvor voted against the repairs.

The money will still be transferred to the capital projects fund for use in future years, Vana said.

Dropping the ditch projects also means that the city will not repair the associated streets next year, Gombac said. 

“The impact of not doing the ditches will have a negative impact on the roads,” he said.

for the new ditch rating system will be presented at the Aug. 22 , Gombac said. Once the system is in place, it will take about two months to rate all of Darien’s ditches, he said.