FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- The Fayetteville City Council voted on Tuesday (Aug. 15) to authorize the city attorney to seek condemnation and possession of land to continue the Rupple Road expansion project.
Aldermen voted 7 to 1 to move forward with acquiring land from both the Links at Fayetteville and a property owner on Rupple Road.
The project includes expanding Rupple Road from W Starry Night View Road to W Mt. Comfort Road. It would also including relocating the intersection of Rupple and Mt. Comfort about 500 feet to the East of its current location.
Jim and Judy Hazen own the property that the new road is expected to extend through. They have been in negotiations with the city leaders on a fair price for about 3.21 acres of land.
The couple said they are not happy with the $173,200 offer that the city has put on the table, which Jim Hazen said didn't account for the loss of privacy, the inconvenience and the additional work that would ensue following the project.
According to documents from the city, both properties must be acquired by August 31 to avoid losing about $2.5 million from the Federal Highway Administration to help fund the project.
Those documents also state: "If condemnation becomes a reality, the City will deposit the appraised value of the land into the court’s registry with the final settlement to be determined by further negotiations, and in rare cases, a jury trial. "
The Hazen's say they're committed to sticking with this ordeal until the very end.
About $5.8 million in federal aid has been approved for the project.