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But the vote has an asterisk: Councilwoman Deb Salyards says she misunderstood what she was voting for and didn’t intend to support the proposal. Councilman George Borzyskowski also didn’t believe he was voting to extend utilities to Cobblestone Creek, though Borzyskowski said he would have backed the project anyway.
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A crew from Griffin Construction Company work around a tributary of Pleasant Valley Creek Wednesday off County Road 17 in Winona. Cobblestone Creek Developer Jason Phillips plans to have roads and utilities in place for the first 14 lots by September. City crews will work later this summer to extend water and sewer to the development.
(Photo by Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News) |
The development, helmed by developer Jason Phillips, initially will create 14 new home lots off County Road 17, with more lots planned over four phases of construction. Salyards was a persistent critic of the plan before it was approved in May, arguing the city would never recoup the cost of extending utilities to the subdivision. Borzyskowski voted in favor of the development, and said this week that he favors extending utility lines to the site.
“It would not have changed a vote,” Borzyskow-ski said of the confusion.
Salyards and Borzyskow-ski both said they spoke before the meeting and believed the project would extend utilities to a different cluster of homes off County Road 17, on Valley View Drive. The city has provided utilities to some of those residents at their request over the past two years, said Public Works director Keith Nelson.
“I apologize to the voters for letting this one get by me,” Salyards said in a voicemail message. “I am not now, nor ever will be, in favor of the city water and sewer lines leapfrogging to the Phillips property. In my opinion, the taxpayers will never see a return on that investment.”
As part of the plan, Phillips is required to reimburse the city for a percentage of the cost of the utility lines. The reimbursement for the development’s first phase, which Phillips has paid, totaled about $138,000, Nelson said. Future developments off County Road 17 that want to hook up to the utility line also will pay reimbursement fees, Nelson said — though the city hasn’t had any other formal inquiries.
Mayor Jerry Miller and council members Al Thurley and Tim Breza all knew they were voting to extend utilities to Cobblestone Creek, they said Wednesday.
Phillips said hopes to have the first 14 lots at Cobblestone Creek ready for builders by September.
Contact Mark Sommerhauser at (507) 453-3514 or msommerhauser@winonadailynews.com
