Road to nowhere

If the road Hector Rivera lives on had a name, he could get pizza delivered.

Or help from 9-1-1 in an emergency, his mail or maybe even a home phone. Getting Internet was easy because he went wireless, but getting up and down his no-name road in the rain is another story.

The only road leading to Tract 1, Phase 14 - the closest thing to an official address Rivera can claim - isn't paved.

"We have lots of pictures where I got stuck," Rivera said recently. "A bunch of family members tried to get me out, and we had 10 trucks stuck in the mud."

He's not alone, and county commissioner Barbara Graff is fed up.

Graff has created a committee to look into tightening the county's rules for subdivision developers, including mandates for paved roads.

"What bothers me more than anything is yes, we have a lot of wonderful developers who are doing a superb job," Graff said.

"There are other developers who are going the cheapest route," she said. "The people they're selling to don't have a lot of money. When they do finally buy this land, they don't have roads, they don't have water, and they don't have sewer."

County engineering technician Eddie Vasquez said a county ordinance requires developers to either build roads up to county specs in three years or put up a performance bond so the county can construct them.

But that ordinance has never been enforced in his 21 years with the county. Vasquez said he's not sure why.

"It's just never been enforced," he said.

Graff said a 6-inch-thick, 30-foot-wide caliche road is all the county requires.

Any road is considered the developer's until it's built up to county specs and accepted by the commissioners court. So if residents want something done about their road before the county accepts it, they have to go to whomever sold them their land.

Rivera said a developer told them eight months ago that his road would be paved.

"We're still waiting," he said.

Vasquez said some county roads that aren't paved also aren't named, so getting mail is a problem. Emergency services might have trouble finding someone who lives off one of these roads because they're not registered in the 9-1-1 database.

And forget about fitting a firetruck down pathways as narrow as 10 feet across - or getting one through muddy wallows that form after it rains.

"There's really no good access," Vasquez said.

Commissioner Greg Simmons said if public safety is at risk because of narrow, non-paved roads, the issue needs to be addressed, but requiring all roads to be paved may be a bit much.

"A lot of people move out to the county because the lots are cheaper," Simmons said.  "That would be great for appearance purposes if you start requiring (paved roads), but that will drive the cost of developments up."

Ector County Health Department water quality program manager David Peck said many new homeowners in the county aren't aware of all the extras it takes to get set up outside the city, including digging a water well and a proper septic system.

Peck said it's not uncommon for someone to buy a lot and realize there's not an adequate groundwater supply, and digging a septic system in the rocky soil that makes up a lot of Ector County can cost up to $20,000.

"That's their life savings," he said.

Peck said there are state guidelines that would require developers to make sure they're selling lots with plenty of water underneath, but Ector County hasn't adopted any of them. He said more stringent rules for developers would be a good thing considering the buyer-beware environment county residents have to operate in now.

"We don't want to curb development, that's for sure, we just want people to be happy with what they get," Peck said.

But even if the county adopted new subdivision rules, no one's there to enforce them.

Commissioners gave preliminary approval for a new code inspector during this month's 2008-'09 budget hearings, but that person will only be in charge of watching out for illegal dumping.

"Doing subdivision rules and regulations is not a ‘snap your fingers and do,' " Graff said. "It's a slow process." 

BUYER BEWARE

If you're about to buy land in the county, be careful. Here are some things to think about:

>> Water: Is there an adequate groundwater supply where you want to live?

>> Sewer: If your soil is especially rocky, installing a proper septic system can cost up to $20,000.

>> Roads: If the road isn't paved or officially named, you could be in for a world of trouble. It'll be tough to get your mail, phone service, emergency services and food delivered.

>> Electric: If you live more than 300 feet away from an Oncor pole, you have to pay to have electric lines run out to your house - by the foot.

>> At grade: If you're building a house, make sure you do it above grade. If a road is ever properly paved, it'll be at least six inches higher than ground level. So when it rains, you could have a flood risk if your house isn't elevated.