8/5/13 Drive pipe line installation costs go to property owner

                        
SUMMARY: Will save engineer's office $15,000 - $20,000 annually The full cost of installing and maintaining drive pipes along roads under the care of the Tuscarawas County Engineer will be borne by property owners. In a bid to find savings, the Tuscarawas County Engineer’s office will no longer pay for excavation for pipes installed beneath driveways that facilitate drainage of ditches, or otherwise fulfill a similar purpose, along county roads. Maintaining the pipes will also be the responsibility of the property owner. Previously, the engineer excavated and installed the pipes at no cost to the property owner. The new changes are effective Aug. 1. Engineer Joe Bachman said the cost to the homeowner will be between $300 to $800, depending on when the pipes are installed. “The cost will vary widely,” Bachman said. “If they do it when they’re building, and there’s an excavator on site, it might cost $300 - $400. That’s usually when this kind of work is done anyway. If not, it may be double that.” Prior to Aug. 1, the property owner purchased the pipe and the county did the excavation and installation. The pipes and driveways were completed according to the county’s specifications. The property owner will now pay for all costs. According to the engineer’s driveway permit application, they will also be responsible for maintenance of the pipes. Inspection by the engineer’s office will also be billed back to the property owner, according to the permit. The engineer’s specs call for a pipe that runs beneath the driveways, which are required to be at least 12 feet in width for the driveway and expanding out to 20 feet in width to where the drive access point meets the edge of the county road pavement. Bachman said the changes are expected to save an estimated $15,000 - $20,000 per year. The engineer’s budget has been hit by high oil prices, Bachman said, prompting a search for savings wherever possible. The engineer’s office is funded through a set, per-gallon tax on gasoline sales, and high prices at the pump have seen gas consumption decrease. Furthermore, asphalt prices are up, as the materials are petroleum based. “We’re just looking to find savings wherever we can,” Bachman said. Driveway permit applications are online at www.co.tuscarawas.oh.us/engineer/


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