LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Members of a church in Lincoln are pleading with the county to move forward with their nearly two-decades-old request to have the road paved in front of the worship space.
Members of the Lincoln City Church recently spoke to the Lancaster County Board about the gravel road, which has become an inconvenience to the church’s 300 parishioners, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.
Pastor Solo Mwania said people new to the church frequently have trouble finding it because they don’t expect a gravel road. The road gets dusty in the summer, muddy when it rains and slippery in the snow, Mwania said.
Members are becoming “disheartened” after approaching the County Board year after year, he said. Paving the road was part of the county’s long-term plans about 10 years ago, but Mwania said it’s no longer on officials’ radar.
County Engineer Pam Dingman said the county has a limited budget and 28 miles (45 kilometers) of heavily traveled road that needs paving. The county’s road funding is being used to replace bridges this year.
Lincoln City Church’s only hope of getting the road paved may be having the land annexed by the city. The church is situated across from the county-owned, city-run Wilderness Park, and it’s less than a half-mile from the city limits.
If the church’s land were to be annexed, the church and its neighbors would have to ask for the street to be paved and share the cost.
The church’s 28 acres don’t meet the annexation requirement of being adjacent to the city limits. But the city will likely be extending a sewer line in two years, which could prompt nearby development and annexation, said Andrew Thieroff, a city planner.
The church plans to continue appealing to county leaders unless the annexation option becomes available.
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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com
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