The first wave of this year’s road resurfacing projects, along with a four-year contract with County Manager Paul Van Haute, were approved at last week’s meeting of the Putnam County Board of Commissioners.
More resurfacing projects can be expected later this year, but revenues in the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax account have to build up first.
This month’s first wave is financed mainly through a $571,000 LMIG state grant, with the county paying at least $171,000 and anything extra, depending on the unstable market in asphalt.
A trimmed-down list of these first 3.7 miles of resurfacing projects includes:
• OnemileofOldPhoenix Road, from Lake Oconee Parkway to the first bridge crossing near Cuscowilla;
• One mile of Clark’s Fork Road/Bugger Bear Road, from Little Road to the Morgan County line, plus intersection improvements at Little Road/Bugger Bear Road;
• OnemileofDennis Station Road, from the Old Milledgeville Highway past the Interfor lumber mill;
• And0.7mileof Sammons Parkway, looping from one point on Harmony Road to another on the same road.
Van Haute’s compensation package carries the same 8.7 percent pay increase as granted earlier to all county employees, plus benefits that include the use of a car and payments into both the county retirement fund and a separate managers association retirement fund.
The pay and benefits package totals about $130,000.
Meanwhile, aside from cost-of-living adjustments, the main difference from earlier extensions of Van Haute’s contract is extending it four years instead of two.
In four years, he will reach age 65.