Town Hall seeks answers about Belmont roads

LAKEWOOD RANCH — At first glance, the roads in the Lakewood Ranch Country Club’s Belmont community look like any other.

But Town Hall Operations Director Ryan Heise and engineers know there’s a problem.

Although the roads, Belmont Court and Forsgate Place, were repaved in March, a 50-yard section at Belmont’s entrance already is showing signs, such as cracks in the asphalt, undulations and other indicators that water is trying to escape through the asphalt, that the road base may be compromised.

“We don't know exactly what’s going on. We need to investigate the soils, especially the sub-grade,” Heise said. “We’re going to get a proposal from an engineering company to do a 10-foot boring to determine water levels.”

Heise said operations staff already know the water table beneath Belmont is high, but how high remains to be determined. During the boring, the engineer may install a piezometer, which will allow them to monitor water levels within subsoils.

“We think there’s something going on with the water table there and we need to some more research with that,” Heise said. “It’s very evident there’s a problem. Every time we’re out there, there’s standing water.”

Town Hall had planned to craft a letter to Belmont residents reminding them to limit irrigation water usage to their allotted watering schedule, 6 to 10 a.m. Wednesdays, to help remedy the situation because of reports of off-schedule watering from the contractor, while it was there making repairs this spring.  

“Off-schedule watering was happening while the contractor was there,” Town Hall Executive Director Eva Rey Rey said. “It’s a contributing factor to why that roadway declined so quickly.”

However, Heise said those plans are on hold. Although Town Hall had planned to turn off irrigation water outside scheduled watering times, allowing an additional time window during the week during which contractors could check systems and handle other business, it will postpone that measure until it has a better understanding of what else could be contributing to the roadway’s degradation.

Heise said Town Hall has a proposal request out to a geotechnical engineering company and will review that document when it comes back later this month. Dewberry, the district engineer for Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 5, which oversees roads within Belmont, also needs to determine if the repairs needed in Belmont are covered under the contractor’s one-year warranty, and make any other recommendations for moving forward.

Heise said other roadway sections within CDD 5 use underdrains to help keep water levels appropriate and that option may be required.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].