Over the past eight years, the Indian Trail Improvement District (ITID) has made substantial progress in constructing, maintaining, and improving the local streets and infrastructure that are essential to the community’s agricultural and equestrian lifestyles. Here is a summary of what has been accomplished and the vision for the future.
Accomplishments Over the Past 8 Years:
- Improved Grading Efficiency: ITID continues to operate five graders to maintain the District’s 360 miles of unpaved roads. The grading cycle now takes approximately two weeks, depending on weather conditions. This timeline has been reduced as more streets are stabilized with millings.
- Millings Maintenance Program: ITID implemented a millings maintenance program to lower maintenance costs for landowners. This program involves notifying landowners of upcoming projects via street signage and notices several months in advance. Landowners have the opportunity to voice objections, and if a majority opposes, the District moves to the next street on the list.
- Annual Petition and Lottery for Milling: Landowners can submit a petition for their streets to be milled. If a majority supports milling, these petitions enter a lottery, with a limited number of streets chosen each year at the October board meeting for milling in the next fiscal year.
- R1 and R2 Road Paving Plans: The R1 plan ensured that every residence was within one mile of a paved road, while the R2 plan reduced this to a half mile. Some units, such as Units 1, 6, and 12, were excluded as their streets were already paved. The R2 Road Bond was successfully paid off and retired in 2022.
- R3 Road Paving Plan: Developed over five years and bond-financed in 2022, this plan aims to pave or apply millings to specific streets identified through public input. The plan also includes adding over 75 speed tables to reduce speeding and manage heavy construction traffic. Completion is expected by 2025.
- Preserving the Residential Nature of the District: ITID successfully opposed the addition of 140th Avenue and 40th Street to the County’s Long-Range Thoroughfare Plan, preventing increased traffic in residential areas. The District also opposed efforts to commercialize and industrialize residential properties, citing the potential costs and safety impacts on the community.
- Protected our Local Streets: ITID successfully opposed efforts by local residents and our county commissioner to commercialize and industrialize properties within the District, by allowing semi-tractor trailers and heavy dump trucks on residential properties, citing the potential negative impact on residential streets and costs of maintenance and improvements to landowners.
- Support for Local Businesses: ITID supported a County ULDC change allowing the gross vehicle weight (GVW) of business trucks to increase to 12,500 pounds, permitting two such vehicles per property, balancing business needs with community standards.
- Court Victory to Protect Local Streets: ITID successfully defended itself in court against a local developer seeking to use District streets without paying for maintenance or obtaining permits. The court’s ruling in favor of ITID helped protect easements, landowners’ assets and the District’s infrastructure.
- Comprehensive Mobility Plan: ITID adopted a mobility plan that enhances safety for all our local street users, including pedestrians, equestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles. This plan provides a pathway for future improvements to the local street network without changing our rural character.
Vision for the Future of Local Streets:
- Continuing Infrastructure Improvements: The mobility plan outlines future strategies to enhance safety and accessibility for all residents. The District must continue to implement these improvements while seeking funding from external sources to protect, preserve, and strengthen the infrastructure.
- Equestrian Trails and Community Leadership: I envision creating equestrian trailheads and expanding the bridle paths to enhance the equestrian trail network. I also support forming a community-led equestrian committee that empowers equestrian residents to provide their vision, without interference from board members or District staff.
- Protecting the District from Outside Impacts: ITID must continue safeguarding its local infrastructure from the effects of outside development and cut-through traffic that threaten the safety and character of the community. The District must also persist in opposing efforts to commercialize and industrialize its agricultural and equestrian residential areas, as such changes would significantly impact the local street network—leading to increased maintenance costs and requiring capital improvements that do not benefit the District’s landowners as a whole. Maintaining the integrity of this rural community is essential to preserving the lifestyle and infrastructure that residents rely on.
- R2 and R1 Repaving Plans: The District should implement repaving plans for the R2 and R1 roads over the next few years to ensure continued road quality and safety.
- Streamlining Water Control and Road Maintenance: The District should consider consolidating water control plans for adjacent units where practical, streamlining the maintenance and planning process for the local street network.
By focusing on these priorities, ITID can continue to provide safe, reliable access for residents while preserving the unique agricultural and equestrian character of the community.
