Why has the trail been flooded for most of the year?
In order to reduce the flooding to several of the Woodbine homes like that which occurred last year, the Maple Ridge Storm Water Pond has had the flow from it reduced to slow the flow through the Woodbine “blue way”/trail. With all the rain we received it has taken a long time for the pond to drain and so we have had a constant slow flow of water going down our pathway.
Why is the Town of Blacksburg or Maple Ridge not held responsible for the flooding?
Unfortunately the design/master plan for our entire neighborhood was engineered for the area where our path/trail goes to also be where the storm water flows. This has been an ongoing problem for over 20 years and only gets worse as there is more development upstream from us and as the “swells” in the “blue way” erode over time. Again, unfortunately there are not laws or restrictions that prohibit future development that will add to our water problems. It was amplified this year because of all the rain and having the flow from the Maple Ridge Pond slowed down to prevent more serious flooding. On the original neighborhood plan for Woodbine it clearly states that the maintenance and upkeep of the “blue way”/path is the responsibility of the Woodbine HOA (in other words, all of us who live in Woodbine).
Additionally, the Town of Blacksburg has awarded Woodbine a $2,000 grant to help fix the problem and they are also providing engineering services at no cost to help engineer a solution to the problem so our path will be usable 99% of the time.
Could we not give the path to the town so they would maintain it?
This is not an option. Woodbine is legally obligated to maintain at least 20% of the land as “common area.” If we gave up our blue way/path, we would fall well short of this 20% requirement.
Why can we not just leave it unfixed? We had a lot of rain this year, and it may not be a problem next year.
True, we did have above average amounts of rain this year, but the rainfall this year has not been “excessive,” it has been just above “normal.” So, while it may not happen next year, it is very likely to happen in most years. Plus, the constant flow of water is destroying the trail. This damage not only lowers property values, it poses a safety issue for everyone who walks the trail. It also poses liability issues for the Woodbine HOA.
Why not sue the Town or a developer?
The short answers are a) it would cost more than it would cost to fix the problem and b) we would lose. The Woodbine HOA has consulted legal counsel and that is not the direction we should go based on the feedback.
How much is this going to cost us?
With the $2,000 grant and the help from the Town we feel that with a one time assessment of $100 per household we will be able to fix the trail (the four or five sections where storm water needs to cross it), manage the storm water flow, and repave some of the more damaged areas of the trail. Once these improvements have been made we feel that the trail will be in much better condition for a much longer period of time.
When will this work be done?
Ideally we will get started on the project before the end of the year. We would like to have this problem solved and the trails/pathway usable for all of next year and the many years to come.
Summary
Due to the original design of Woodbine and our trail/pathway/”blue way” we need to do something so as to preserve one of the nicer assets of our community. This problem has existed for many years. As nice as it would be to have the Town or Maple Ridge pay for it, that is not going to happen. It is our responsibility and our problem to fix. This one time assessment will insure the future of our trail and improve the values of all of our homes and the quality of all of our lives.
Please feel free to pass on additional questions to the board and we will work with the town to provide answers.
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