Tom Corbett, the city's new director of public works, estimates that

over a mile of paths have been repaved since April; in the previous six months,

about two miles of cart paths were repaved.

Surveys have shown that the city's cart paths, weaving through wooded

areas to connect the entire city, are used by about 98 percent of the population,

according to city public information officer Betsy Tyler.

Poor cart path conditions, in turn, are responsible for a large amount of

the complaints received by City Hall, said Mayor Steve Brown.

The repaving of cart paths can be difficult because the work is done in

much tighter spaces than normal road paving, Corbett noted.

"You have to cut back the vines and run off the native wildlife to

work safely," Corbett said with a laugh.

Corbett said he was "new to this cart path business" but he is

impressed how much the city crews have been able to get done. The city is

also evaluating a long-term plan for how often sections of the golf path

should be replaced.

"We're going to look at what makes the most sense and also what

we can afford in the long run," Corbett said.

Tree roots are one of the most significant dangers for the paved golf cart

paths, as they can punch right through the asphalt, Corbett noted.

"When tree roots grow, whatever is in the way will get pushed out of

the way," Corbett said. In some areas where the path is replaced, crews

will remove the tree roots, unless doing so might kill the tree itself, Corbett

noted.