Road Work Update

By Skeet Skaalen | 9-29-2021

September 29:
Roads Update: Per the last update, there was a meeting this past week with the contractor and several HOA board members. In brief, our dissatisfaction with the quality of the work specifically along the Blvd was most ‘at issue’.  Final payment has not been made. Further work on the roads will likely not happen this year even if further repairs will ultimately occur. It is likely that another expert opinion will be sought in case this is unable to be resolved with mutual satisfaction. This is not to say that DPS is not committed to ensuring our satisfaction. This is an issue of significance both for the Board, the contractor, and our community so we ask that you all bear with us as we work the process.  We will provide an update on next steps relatively soon.

Some have asked about the overspray on their driveways. Some have flaked themselves off and others have used their power sprayer and easily removed it. While this remains on the punch list, it is the least of the list of concerns we have. Thank you for your patience and take some joy in the beauty our neighborhood and surrounding countryside will bring as fall sets in.

Additionally, speed bumps will be painted and signs are to be installed for new speed bumps.

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September 16:
Road Project Update: Board representatives will be meeting with DPS to discuss open issues and one area of concern. The entire Board has reviewed the original project scope and cost projections against the current “actual” work with the significant additional full depth removal and replacement along the Blvd. Items to be addressed will be discussed at the meeting with DPS to seek consensus before closing the project. We are aware of the speed bumps needing the stripes painted. We will be handling the speed bump painting ourselves.

Asking for Volunteers: If anyone has some time this weekend, the entrance beds on the Estate side REALLY need some weeding attention, Thank You in advance for your help. Rachel Reiman will take care of the south side in the Reserve.

Thank you for your continued support!

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September 9:
There will be crack sealing throughout the neighborhood and we don’t expect any spray sealing. That in mind, the tar from the crack seal may adhere to your tires and track across another surface so avoid it where you can.  We have requested the contractor place cones where the crack seal has been done. They were not sure if they had enough cones on site but will certainly try. Park on the side if you wish to avoid driving into your driveway. 

We will circle back with the contractor at the end of the week with existing issues that need to be discussed and will post once there is something we can report. 

For those who have been supportive throughout this long process we truly do appreciate it!

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September 6:
They are finishing the pink zone and then starting on the blue zone. They are moving cones around as they go to keep the streets accessible, please pay attention to the traffic flow.

Blue zone will continue tomorrow if they don’t get it all today.

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September 5:
Road Update
The spray crew is on site and going to be spraying the entire PINK zone today. Please do not drive on the pink zone until further notice. Thanks!

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September 3:
The spray crew held off spray sealing today due to the road not drying out enough. The team attempted to start crack sealing this afternoon, but had a break down on the tar machine. They are set on a different job tomorrow afternoon and now plan to be back Sunday 9/5 to do (PINK Zone) and Monday 9/6 to do (BLUE Zone). Let’s hope we have clear skies this holiday weekend so we can get this done!

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The team plans to spray the entire pink area (and respray the pink they did the other night) today starting around lunch time. Please do not drive on Pink zone until next update.

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September 2:
Rain is going to make them hold off on continuing the spray seal today. Please move any trash cans to the non-sprayed (blue) side tomorrow for trash pickup.

We will update again in the morning based on the weather.

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Road Update:
They will continue on Pink areas today until they have to stop for incoming rain. Then we will re-evaluate tomorrow based on the weather. Goal is to have everything sprayed completely by Saturday.

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September 1:
New bus pick up and drop off locations starting this afternoon through Friday, September 3rd.

May be an image of outdoors and text that says 'Woodcrest.Dr COTTONWOOD CREEK NEIBORHOOD. ROADS WILL SPRAY SEALED STARTING ON 9/1/21 PLEASE USE ALTERNATE PICK UP AND DROP OFF LOCATION. County Road37 Woodcrest BUS PICK UP AND DROP OFF LOCATION FOR 9/1/2021 (AFTERNOON ONLY) 9/2/2021 AND 9/3/2021 9/1/21 DROP OFF CountyRoad 9/2/21 PICK UP 7:08AM 9/2/21 DROP OFF 4:00 4:15 Cottonwood Creek creekBlvd Blvd 8:38AM 9/3/21 PICK JP 9/3/21 DROP OFF 4:00 CountyiRos Road CURRENT BUS PICK UP LOCATION WE WILL GO BACK To NORMAL LOCATION ON TUESDAY 9/7/2021 Rd County/Ro'


Thank you all for your patience on this roads project, we all agree the schedule has been poorly managed and nothing has went as expected or promised.

Per Jason (DPS) – this is the seal coat schedule.

9-1-2021 = spray pink areas on Estate map. They hope to get it all done tonight but it might roll into tomorrow.

9-2-2021 = spray blue area on Estate map

9-3-2021 = touch up blue areas if not all complete.

After this is complete there will be some items they will continue to work on but there should not be anything that causes home owner inconvenience.

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September 1:
Per Jason Armstrong, DPS Project Manager straight from this morning’s meeting: Pink areas of the road map below could be spray sealed as early as this afternoon starting at the entrance if all punch list items are completed this morning. Thursday for sure will have spray sealing for all pink highlighted areas!! Blue highlighted areas will be spray sealed Friday. Trash pick up will be before 9:00 a.m. for Abe’s. Papillion comes Tuesday so it isn’t impacting them. 

Please plan accordingly: parking off the road on the opposite side of the road that has been spray sealed. Masking the end of your driveway where possible. All overspray will be addressed after all is completed, but it is best to avoid having it in the first place, if possible.

We apologize for the short notice, but we are nearing the end……😄

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August 31:
With the three inches of rain from last night and the contractor having more than one job going at this time, the spray sealing will need to be delayed.

The contractor will not spray seal sections of the job. There are several reasons for this. When the spray seal occurs, it will be large sections of the project, and since we have to get in and out of the neighborhood, most of the project will be spray sealed in halves. We will post as soon as we know the date for spray seal.

We would continue to recommend to prepare to cover the end of your drive to prevent overspray. Please know your team is trying really hard to address ALL the various concerns, comments, opinions, and frustrations. We need a bit of grace. Let’s just finish the punch list and get a good spray seal and we will all be in a much better place

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August 30:
A quick update on the roads. It looks like we have some rain in the forecast this week, so all the work scheduled will depend on when the rain occurs.

Work continues today with sealing the cracks and finishing up items on the punch list. The spray sealing is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 1 and Thursday, September 2, EXCEPT if it rains this will be pushed back.  We will continue to post updates on when the spray sealing will occur when we hear from the contractor.

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August 25:
The HOA Board met again last night to review all punch list items. Most have been completed or in progress. Some are slated to be done this week. A few homeowners will be contacted by an HOA Board member on their specific issue for resolution.

Spray Seal of the Estate will NOT occur this week. New target date for sealing is September 1st and 2nd. More direction on that will come prior to that date.

It is recommended to mow your property along the road so there is a cleaner and tighter surface for spray sealing. Also, it is recommended to mask off in some way your driveway approach prior to spray sealing, but that is up to the homeowner.

Please plan ahead on your parking strategy to ensure the surface has 24 hours to dry before you drive or walk on it and into your driveway.

If you have a height variance between road surface and driveway, this will be fixed! There may be a slight variance for expansion purposes once completed.

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August 24:
The punch list items continue to be addressed in preparation for spray sealing. If you have told a Board Member of an issue then it is on the punch list already.

Spray sealing will NOT occur Wednesday but we will update if it is planned for Thursday or not. 

Recommendation is to mask off about 2′ at the very end of your driveway to keep overspray off your driveway entrance. It is impossible to control the spray even in the slightest breeze, so please take this quick and easy precaution. Plastic, paper sacks, masking paper, or butcher paper, tarp. Anything will work.  This is only an advanced recommendation from what occurred on the Reserve side.

We are trying very hard to keep the cost contained on this project.  The subgrade was significantly worse than anticipated in certain areas. So every little bit matters at this point. 

Thank you all for your patience and understanding. 

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August 20:
Reserve Update:  the rain this morning and later this afternoon has pushed spray sealing the other side of the road until tomorrow. Same drill tomorrow.

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Reminder pull all the way off the road to enable pickups to pass on the one lane. Also you need to park in the grass on the non-freshly sealed side of the road or you will risk transferring that oil on to your drive. If you didn’t do that and drive across the sealing to park in the grass you may want to drive around the city a bit before you return to park in your driveway.

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August 18:
Spray sealing Reserve Thursday, starting around 9:00 a.m. West/North  sides. Friday starting around 9:00 a.m. after trash has been picked up, see below, East/South sides. 

Quick update regarding trash hauling for The Reserve this Friday. Abe’s will pickup before 9:00 a.m. as the contractor will spray seal after 9:00 a.m. Papillion doesn’t haul until the 24th so there is not any conflict there. So plan to get your container out Thursday night or very early on Friday (avoid rolling over any wet spray seal). Thank you

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Contractor will resolve all known punch list items today and spray seal will begin Thursday, 9:00 a.m. on the west side of the Reserve on Woodcrest Cir and north side of Woodcrest Dr, plan accordingly. Another update will be posted no later than tomorrow am regarding the east side after we speak with both trash companies.

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August 17:
It has been confirmed that spray sealing the Reserve is still an affirmative for Wednesday the 18th and Thursday the 19th. Half the road each day will allow traffic to utilize the other half of the road to travel through the neighborhood. Again, it’s strongly advised not to drive or walk on or across fresh spray seal as it will stain your concrete. Talk to your neighbor across from you so that you can share driveways or park on grass easements when your side of the road is being sealed. At this time we do not know which side will be done first.

There are several “punch list” items the contractor is finishing up in both the Reserve and the Estates. If you have something adjacent to your immediate property that you are not sure is on the punch list, please communicate this to Neal Ferry this morning, especially if you live on the Reserve side. The Estates is still scheduled for spray seal August 25/26th.

Reminder, when spray sealing is scheduled for your area,
it may be a great idea to block your driveway because
of deliveries.  Amazon, UPS, USPS and FedEx
could potentially drive into your driveway
to deliver your packages.

We want to ask that all homeowners review the scope of the road project via the website or as provided in recent communications so everyone is clear on what the scope of the project was and what was not included.

Thank you all for your support as we look forward to seeing this project to completion.

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ROAD UPDATE!  (as of 3:00 p.m. 8/10/2021)

August 11 – 17

  • Finalize removal of dirt piles on Farmer’s field entrance on the Estate side
  • Focus on finalizing all work on the Reserve side
  • Spray seal now scheduled for August 18-19 on Reserve side. Plan accordingly. Talk to your neighbors to share driveway space for 24 hrs each side or park in common areas and walk to your home. DO NOT drive on to yours or your neighbors driveways if you have driven on the fresh spray seal! It will permanently stain the concrete and the HOA is NOT liable for members’ actions.
  • Reserve side done
    It has been suggested when spray sealing is scheduled for your area, it may be a great idea to block your driveway because of deliveries.  Amazon, UPS, USPS and FedEx could potentially drive into your driveway to deliver your packages.

August 11 – 24

  • Smoothness corrections are occurring now and ongoing until complete
  • August 11th – 11:00 a.m. meeting walk through inspection of project with DPS Project Manager to finalize work left to complete job.
  • Spray seal now scheduled for August 25 – 26 on Estate side. Plan accordingly. Talk to your neighbors to share driveway space for 24 hrs or park in common areas and walk to your home. DO NOT drive on to yours or your neighbors driveways if you have driven on the fresh spray seal! It will permanently stain the concrete and the HOA is NOT liable for members’ actions.
    It has been suggested when spray sealing is scheduled for your area, it may be a great idea to block your driveway because of deliveries.  Amazon, UPS, USPS and FedEx could potentially drive into your driveway to deliver your packages.

NOTE:  Schedule subject to change if it RAINS!

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August 6-7th: Move all dirt and rubble from farmers field and at the end of Cottonwood Creek Blvd, finish all base paving and overlay, finish all remaining patches (Reserve 3, Estates 7), finish driveway repairs.

August 9-10th: Smoothness corrections, edge straightening, other misc. edge work where grade matches up to paving, final grading, install grass mats, speed bump install, broom all surfaces to remove loose debris before spray seal.

August 11-12th: HD crack seal & spray seal both sides, 2 days. If rains or schedule changes spray seal moves to 18-19th. Other open items – spreading dirt by north entrance; stock piling dirt by main entrance for beautification redo; final smoothness corrections; trail patch; partial (800’) trail spray seal after brooming; misc. punch list items from homeowners. Be sure Neal Ferry is aware if you have damage so he can be sure it is on the punch list items for homeowners.
Lots to do in a few weeks, but it is looking better because we can see the end.

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July 30:
The focus today is moving dirt and rubble….paving will continue as weather permits… they expect misc fill in asphalt work as the afternoon clears. Presently trying to get a final detailed schedule today or tomorrow. They have been made aware of the school bus pickup and drop off area needed for school starting August 18th. We will continue to provide updates as we receive them.

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July 27:
Spray seal for the Reserve will NOT happen this Wed and Thursday. There is a meeting every morning with the contractor so we will continue to update as close to real time as possible. Thank you

Nice to see the paving! We will confirm the date for spray seal later today but I’m thinking it’ll get pushed back as paving isn’t done yet. More to come. Thank you

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July 23:
Paving will continue through the beginning of next week both in the Estates and the Reserve. Spray seal is tentatively planned on the Reserve for the 28th and 29th. The Estates is tentatively planned for spray seal August 4th and 5th. We will update this next week so that you can plan accordingly. Plan to avoid driving over fresh spray seal for 24 hours then they will switch sides and don’t drive on that side for another 24 hours. Push personal services off during this time. Doing spray seal on Wednesday and Thursday avoids trash day.

There are several reasons for the ongoing delays with this project: terrible sub grade from previous installation, mud base which was not expected, delays from Olsson for trench drains, and of course the crazy rains this July. We have a nice stretch of dry and ridiculously hot weather upon us so progress can be made. Thank you for sharing driveways etc. to your neighbors across from you during spray sealing. Better yet go on vacation. Stay cool …

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July 19:
The Asphalt Plants that supply the Asphalt were shut down because of rain till noon Friday, equally our sub grade was wet, so drying is required…. can’t place hot mix over wet surfaces…. 2 of the trench drains were installed in the meantime, 1 remains …. the paver is here and paving will start if the rain doesn’t happen.. per Neal Ferry. We should have a long hot dry spell so let’s pray for real progress this week.

They are paving today…. primary focus, small full depth patches, the full depth in front of Grzywa’s house.

Spray seal won’t be till next week….they know the days of garbage pickup….per Neal Ferry. You may wish to contact personal service providers once the spray and seal dates are confirmed and push them back a few days. Thank you
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July 12:
The focus this week is on the areas where it requires sub grade repairs and then overlay. Everyone pray for DRY weather this week. That monsoon was NOT helpful to our cause.

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July 6:
DPS spent their day prepping the 2″ overlay sections and miscellaneous clean-up. They will have everything back to normal in the Reserve by Friday, except possibly the south entrance.
On the Estates side, they did some of the same. The plan is to have all minor overlays done by Friday, except the big full depth areas on the Estates side. 
Thank you again for your continued support and patience!  

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June 29:
Updated itemized schedule provided by DPS.

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June 25:

6/25 – 6/26 – Reserve will see digging started for the installation of a new culvert.  The dirt being extracted will be piled near the north entrance.  This dirt is designated for several projects in our area.
6/26 – Contractor will be working.
6/28 – Paving will start.

Delays incurred are due to lack of communication from Olsson on drain layout, the additional wet grades discovered, the additional milling that then was required and rescheduled, and weather.

Spray sealing is the final phase and it has been communicated several times that homeowners are responsible for not driving on their driveways for 24 – 48 hours after seal has been applied.  If you disregard these notifications, there is the possibility of permanently staining your concrete and the HOA is not liable for the actions of homeowners.

Please refer to the CWC Project Plan provided to each lot owner and it may be found on our website, www.cottonwoodhomeowner.com – go to announcements – Revised 2021 Cottonwood Creek Road Plan.

Contractor has requested homeowners DO NOT stop workers and ask questions, this delays their schedule and workers may not have full scope knowledge of the plan and misinform homeowners. If you have questions, please refer to the prior meeting minutes stating who is the designated contact for Roads, Trail, Financial, Security, Social Media, Beautification. Minutes may also be found on our website.

Thank you for your understanding and patience while the crew is striving to give us our beautiful roads done the right way.

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June 24: The delays are still from lack of info from Olson, the wet grade that was discovered in front of Skaalen house, as well as rescheduling the mill. Once again, thank you for your patience.
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June 15: Work resumed June 15 on the road project. After an early milling start, we discovered excess soft grade below the upper end of Cottonwood Creek Boulevard and the South Entrance of the reserve. In order to remediate this, we are going to displace all asphalt to grade, then remove soft grade and install granular fill or millings to grade to provide proper drainage going forward. After this we will overlay the grade with the standard 2 layers of asphalt.

The main entrance fork to the Estates side has extreme moisture and drainage issues as communicated earlier. Olsson Engineering is slow in responding on providing a detailed plan for this work. We have a similar plan developed by DPS, our contractor, that we have sent to Olsson last Thursday. We are hopeful to get feed back from Olsson shortly. In the meantime, we will be doing miscellaneous planned full depth patching.

At this point we are scheduling the mill back in to assist with additional removal over the soft grade areas as well. We are hopeful to have them return this week. Scheduling is always difficult during the busy summer months.

As soon as the drainage, patching and cleanup is done, we will overlay immediately. We are still hopeful the schedule of all work is completed as communicated, pending rain days.

Thank you for everyone’s understanding.