Heartland Village to get long-awaited road repairs

• Heartland

Press Photo by Sean M. Soehren Resident Kevin Anderson navigates home through the rugged roads of Heartland Village in Dickinson Thursday afternoon.

Talk about it

After being plagued with crumbling streets and crater-sized potholes, officials said Heartland Village will begin making repairs next week. For some residents, it can’t come soon enough.

Heartland General Manager Valerie Fugett said Monday that road crews would be inspecting the damage throughout the week. Repairs are scheduled to begin Monday and should be finished by June 30.

However, some residents of the nearly 300 manufactured homes in the community said the damage has already been done.

B Street resident Kevin Anderson said tenants were asked by notice a few weeks ago to “be patient,” but the roads have been trouble since April.

“Residents are ready to stop being patient, they want the roads fixed now,” he said, adding that his pregnant wife was unable to leave their home because of the jostling car rides and his neighbors’ lawns were damaged from motorists diverting off the streets to avoid

potholes.

Heartland resident Britani Annable said she recently had to replace multiple parts on her vehicle due to driving on the damaged roads.

“They need to get fixed,” she said. “Nobody should be forced to get a new car.”

Fugett said there were a few formal complaints and questions about the repair start dates, but she was not notified of damage to yards or vehicles.

Repairs have been delayed due to wet conditions, Fugett said.

“Contractors said we needed to wait for it to dry out and the weather to be cooperating,” she said. “There are sections that have crumbled because of the weather and soft soils.”

Heartland Owner Tom Langel said the roads should have been built better when they were constructed by a previous owner. Langel did not plan on restructuring the roads.

“We will repair what we have and do the best we can,” Langel said.

Dickinson Assistant Public Works Manager Ed Krank said the roads are private and therefore maintenance is Heartland’s responsibility. However, he was aware of the planned improvements because he had been contacted to help arrange for delivery of materials.

Repairs will include resurfacing and patching as needed, Fugett said. Roads may be closed during construction.

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