Round Cove Rd may be paved

Round Cove Rd may be paved, from Rte 137 southwest to the furthest house, said Lincoln Hooper, Director of the Dept. of Public Works.  About 14 residents along the unpaved road recently petitioned the Department, asking that it be paved.  Four residents were not in favor of paving. 

Director Hooper supports paving, because he says the current dirt road requires constant maintenance.  Paving will save the town maintenance funds in the long run, although the payback time would be quite long.

Hooper says the paving isn't going to happen soon. The road is narrow, and pipes buried beneath the road are going to complicate the process, Hooper said.

Implications for Hawksnest State Park

Paving will increase the convenience of access to the Round Cove Rd parking area in Hawksnest State Park.  This in turn makes completion of the State's erosion control and restoration plan for Hawksnest Pond all the more urgent.

Since the DCR's plan calls for closing of public vehicle access from Round Cove Rd, yet grading to improve police and fire access, overall access to the pond for police (from paving of the outer portion, plus grading of the inner portion) will be greatly improved.  This should lead to a decrease in the litter and illegal parties that have defaced the parking area at Hawksnest Pond.  The litter and parties are one of the main complaints of residents around the park.

Likewise, paving of Round Cove Rd may increase use of Seth Whitfield County Way (Hawksnest Rd), so that road should be protected as a Scenic and Historic Byway.