The Alachua County Commission voted against resident-funded repairs to Totem Pole Road and requested a proposal to repair a road in southwest Gainesville Tuesday.
In February, residents along Northeast 225th Street and Northeast 69th Avenue, or Totem Pole Road, signed a petition to create a Special Assessment District to resurface the road. A SAD allows residents of an area to pay additional taxes or fees to fund public improvements that benefit their properties.
According to county staff, 25 of the 30 lot owners responded to the petition. Sixteen signed in favor of the petition, the minimum number of signatures needed to make it eligible for consideration by the Alachua County Commission.
One of the 16 signees was Commission Chair Ken Cornell, who couldn’t vote on the item because he’s a resident along Totem Pole Road.
Residents who opted not to sign the petition spoke during public comment to voice opposition to its adoption.
Larry Wurn, a 78-year-old Totem Pole Road resident, said he and his wife were not properly notified of the petition, only having heard about it in passing from a neighbor. Both of their signatures appear in favor of the petition, but now the couple hopes to rescind them.
“Not informing us or giving us a chance to question or comment on this SAD before a required vote is just wrong,” Wurn said.
Wurn has owned two lots on Totem Pole Road for over 50 years. He said since residents are being asked to pay for the repaving, they should be able to weigh in on the contractors and the costs associated with the project.
The estimated cost for the improvements is just over $372,000. Each lot owner, regardless of whether they signed the petition, would have to pay just under $12,500 across 10 years for each lot they own. This would put Wurn down $25,000 in a decade.
Not all residents spoke against the petition. Andy Sherrard, a 58-year-old Totem Pole Road homeowner, supported it.
“Folks drive on the opposite side of the road, then they cross over, and they drive on the shoulder to avoid potholes.” Sherrard said. “It desperately needs to be done.”
Sherrard said because Totem Pole Rd is a deadend, residential street with only 30 lots, it is unlikely to receive sufficient funding from the county, making the petition the only viable option for road repairs.
In the end, the board voted against the petition due to a lack of support among residents and concerns about them not being fully informed.
“I'll just say to those residents that voted for this SAD, I'm sorry that it failed,” Commissioner Anna Prizzia said. “I think you did an admirable thing in trying to create a process by which your roadway could be paved.”
Residents who still want improvements can bring forward a new petition in the future.
In addition to Totem Pole Road, other county residents attended to voice concerns over a road in southwest Gainesville.
During public comment, residents advocated for the restoration of the last mile of Southwest 75th Street. They described various hazardous incidents resulting from poor road conditions like swerving vehicles, bent rims and blown-out tires.
Ramon Gavarette, the public works director for the county, said widespread fatigue cracking across roadways like Southwest 75th Street requires more than patching.
“The only solution with the problem is milling and resurfacing all the roadways,” he said.
Alachua County’s pothole portal went live Sept. 15, allowing residents to report road damage. Since then, crews have been performing pothole repairs throughout the county, Gavarette said.
Nancy Henry, a 63-year-old Gainesville resident, said the road is likely to become a lawsuit if it’s not fixed soon.
“So do the right thing; fix the road correctly.” Henry said. “Don't let an accident happen because they have happened. They're going to happen. It's a dangerous situation.”
The commission voted unanimously to direct staff to draft a proposal to prioritize road improvements along the last mile of Southwest 75th Street.
Contact Julia Miller at jmiller@alligator.org. Follow her on X @juliamill30.
Julia Miller is a freshman journalism student at UF working as a general asignment reporter on the metro desk. This is her first semester with The Alligator and in her free time, she enjoys watching movies, reading, and spending time with her friends.
