The Cole County Commission approved an order Thursday noting the Parkview Meadows neighborhood improvement project is complete and allowing the process for the landowners to pay for the work to commence.
Commissioners had approved a final closeout change order in July on the St. Martins-area neighborhood improvement district that should have been completed in December.
That order called for $40,500 to be deducted from the final payment to Kaufman Enterprises as liquidated damages for not completing the project on time.
The district is in the Parkview Meadows area, which includes more than 100 properties off Route T. The county Public Works Department has been overseeing the work, which includes improvements to streets, curbs, driveway entrances and drainage.
Stockman Construction was brought in to complete the work, finishing in time for the project to be put on the tax rolls for the upcoming year.
The total cost of the project came in at $644,904.
The commission approved creation of the district in November 2015. Work was scheduled to be completed by Dec. 2 and the county gave Kaufman an extension to March 31 of this year. At that time the county began to assess the liquidated damages, and the county terminated the contract June 15, determining Kaufman would not be able to finish the job.
With Thursday's order, landowners have the option to pay off their costs in 30 days or to have it put on their tax bill as a lien.
Neighborhood improvement districts allow neighborhoods not up to county code to be fixed so they can be accepted into the county road system. This work is above and beyond what the county normally would do on road projects not in the road system.
No county tax dollars are being used on the project. The majority of landowners signed a petition supporting formation of the district.