Council Unanimously Approves Holland Road Paving Project

If all goes well, a dirt portion of Holland Road west of Murrieta Road will be paved in time for the re-opening of Menifee schools on Jan. 14.

The Menifee City Council Wednesday night unanimously approved an agreement with the city of Lake Elsinore to split evenly the $89,622 cost of paving the road. The narrow, hilly road, once a tractor path, is now one of the main routes parents take to drive their children to the new Herk Bouris Elementary School in Lake Elsinore.

Council member Tom Fuhrman recused himself from the discussion and voting. Furhman is one of four residents in that area who own the land over which the road travels. After a complicated process, Menifee secured the right to pave the road, citing a legal standard regarding prior public use of private property.

"This is an interim solution," said acting city manager Rob Johnson. "There will be no curb and gutter or sidewalks.

"This has been a very difficult issue to deal with and we had to come up with a compromise solution. This has been a thorn in the side of travelers getting their kids to school."

There have been many complaints about the condition of the road since the opening of Herk Bouris Elementary. The situation escalated a couple weeks ago during a rainstorm, when area resident John F. Smith voiced complaints on behalf of a group he formed called Citizens for Honest Government.

Johnson said the paving would begin next week and would be completed prior to Jan. 14.