Streets
Street Replacement & Maintenance
Perhaps the costliest asset any municipality could possibly have to maintain, and yet it has seen a great deal of neglect in many public agencies. Indian Hills has had its fair share of the same neglect and many of its streets reflect that statement. In 2012 IHGID started setting aside funds to start its street replacement program, and in 2014 we did just that, we replaced a section of Vista Grande Blvd, the first total reconstruction project in the District. To date we have concentrated our attention on the primary roads on the West side of the District due to the age of these roads and the heavy volume of traffic from our residents and visitors. With the completion of the Plymouth Dr. street replacement in the fall of 2019, we will have spent approximately $1,500,000.00 since 2014.
I would also like to add the $1,300,000.00 Douglas County spent from its redevelopment agency area #1 on the portion of Vista Grande Blvd they own, this portion added new vehicle lanes, bike lanes, curb and gutter, storm drains and sidewalks. It was not funded by IHGID, but I’m thankful we were able to work with Douglas County on the release of those funds. I believe it has had enormous benefits to our residents.
In our 2019/20 budget cycle we intend to use our street capital funds on street maintenance, our plan is to maintain our fair to good streets to get more life out of them. As we move into our 2020/21 and 2021/22 budget cycles we will combine those years capital funds together to achieve another street replacement. We hope to continue this three-year cycle of street capital asset replacement/maintenance management for years to come.
The streets department maintains approximately 14 miles of roads which includes spraying for weeds, street sweeping, striping, crack repair & sealing, pothole repair, street sign installation & repair and removal of vegetation overgrowth to comply with our Sidewalk Obstruction Policy, scroll to the end of this page to view the entire Sidewalk Obstruction Policy.
The streets crew is responsible for snow removal as per the District's Snow Removal Policy. Plowing normally begins after snowfall accumulations of 4 inches or more in depth. Most snow and ice control operations will commence in early morning weekday hours in response to anticipated peak vehicle trips. Our first priority is to keep the primary streets clear and open for everyone's safety.
District's Pavement Condition Index (PCI):
PCI West Side.pdfPCI East Side.pdf- Stage One: North/South Sunridge, Mica, Haystack, Smoketree Ave., Plymouth Drive, Vista Grande Blvd. from Plymouth Drive to Jacks Valley Road and Silverado Dr. from Park View to Jacks Valley Rd.
- Stage Two: All remaining residential streets, cul-de-sacs (where snow is piled in the middle) and parking lots.'
We ask that you plan your route accordingly. It is the District’s policy that property owners or their designee are responsible for removing snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their property. When 4" or more has accumulated, we will plow every street down and back to open the road up, once all roads have been opened and the storm has stopped we will begin widening all streets. There may be a certain amount of snow deposited in driveways or sidewalks during plowing regardless of whether they were cleared before the arrival of a District plow. We understand how upsetting it can be to residents who have shoveled their walks and driveways only to have the District come along and cover them up. However, our first priority is to keep the streets clear and open for everyone’s safety.
The District office has received phone calls asking who is responsible for removing snow on sidewalks that are adjacent to our residential properties. The Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) below explains where the responsibility lies.
NRS278.02313 Maintenance, reconstruction and repair of sidewalks: Circumstances under which governing body may compel action by owner of property.
- Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, a governing body shall not require an owner of property to maintain, reconstruct or repair a sidewalk in a public right-of-way that abuts his or her property.
- The provisions of subsection 1 do not prohibit a governing body from:
a) Imposing an assessment or other charge authorized by law for any reconstruction or repair of a sidewalk that the governing body causes to be performed within a public right-of-way;
b) Requiring any reconstruction or repair of a sidewalk as a condition of approval for a change in the use of the land;
c) Requiring an owner of property to maintain a sidewalk in a public right-of-way that abuts his or her property if the sidewalk was constructed pursuant to standards that exceed the general standards of the governing body for sidewalks; or
d) Requiring, by ordinance, owners of property to be responsible for:- The repair and reconstruction of a sidewalk in the public right-of-way that abuts the property of the owner if the owner caused the need for such repair or reconstruction.
- The general maintenance of a sidewalk in the public right-of-way that abuts the property of the owner, including, without limitation, sweeping, removal of snow, ice and weeds, and maintenance of any grass, shrubs or trees that encroach on the sidewalk.
(Added to NRS by 2003, 1738)
Snow is not to be deposited in the street per county code 12.08.040, if you are using a snow blower or plowing you must keep the snow on your property when using these removal efforts. In an effort to assist our neighbors and to speed the process in shoveling the snow off of sidewalks, we are willing to allow snow being shoveled from sidewalks only, to be placed in the street. Please try not to impede the flow of storm water in the gutter as it melts. We would also like the sidewalks to be cleared within 24 hours of the storm passing through.
The District contracts out some services such as construction of ADA compliant wheelchair ramps. Other contract services are roadside crack, curb, gutter and sidewalk replacements.
Policies
Snow Removal Policy 01202010.pdf2010P-02 Sidewalk Obstruction Policy Final.pdf