After years of deteriorating roads, the Silver Creek Community (formerly Land of Lakes) in Mill Spring may finally be nearing a solution.

N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) officials said last week that right of way work could begin in the next couple of weeks for the state to take over ownership and maintenance of the roads. Partial funding to pave phase I of the roads is budgeted for 2013.

State officials said although 2013 may seem a long time away, the good news is that once rights of way are obtained, the state can take over the roads, which means the existing gravel roads will be state maintained until paving can begin.

The Silver Creek Community paving information came out of a DOT meeting in Polk County last week held to get community input regarding next years state secondary road program. DOT representatives Conrad Burrell, Mark Gibbs, Lori Jones and Joel Setzer met with Polk County board of commissioner representatives and residents.

There was little discussion about the secondary road program, but more than 30 residents attended, mostly offering comments about the need for the state to take over the Silver Creek Community roads.

Silver Creek Community submitted a petition last year to the state asking for the subdivision roads to be state maintained.

One Silver Creek Community resident told state officials that the subdivision contains 400 parcels of land and about 275 homes, so its one of the largest subdivisions in the county.

Residents said the developer poured only about two inches of asphalt on about 10 percent of the roads, with the rest being rough cut. Some of the roads continually wash out, and at times of heavy rains and snow residents are sometimes trapped for two to three days, even with four wheel drive vehicles.

Residents also said this past year during snows, children had to walk a mile and a half to make it to the bus stop.

Other concerns were raised about overall safety, especially for children and response times for emergency services. One resident said response times for the ambulance have increased by five to 10 minutes because of the condition of the roads and that delay could be the difference between life and death.

DOT’s Gibbs told Silver Creek Community residents that it is extremely important for all rights of ways to be obtained, or the state cannot take over maintenance of the roads. He said the project has been given to the state right of way division and work could begin as early as this week.

If one person refuses [to give the state the right of way] it basically kills the deal, Gibbs said.

Funding for paving will be another issue. The state has budgeted $128,000 in its 2013 budget, but that will not be enough to build the 1.1 miles of road scheduled for the first phase of the project. Gibbs said other funding may be available, through state representatives discretionary funding, but it is essentially up to residents of the community to come up with the remaining funding, more than half of the estimated $275,000 officials say it will cost to pave the first 1.1 miles.

Gibbs and other DOT officials said that residents could talk to their state representatives to try to get other funding for the project.

DOT certainly recognizes the need, Gibbs told residents. I know what youre up against.

Gibbs said he had to put his vehicle in four wheel drive at times to get through the subdivision while looking at the project.

Don Yarbrough, representing the Silver Creek Community, thanked DOT and county officials for working on this much needed project. He said there has been a positive change in morale around his community, and other positive initiatives have occurred such as a neighborhood watch and fundraising for other upgrades.

Yarbrough said most people who live there are on fixed incomes, including young families, elderly people and persons on disability.

He thanked several people for their efforts, including county commissioners, state representatives, county employees and DOT officials.

You all have given 100 percent of your time and effort, Yarbrough said to those he thanked. Once rights of ways are collected we are very hopeful our dream will become a reality.