County to clean up mistake

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

A Newton rock and gravel company with a $300,000 contract to haul gravel for Marion County road work dumped an estimated six or more semi-trailers of gravel — up to 144 tons — on five-eighths of a mile of the wrong road Oct. 5.

J L Unruh employees poured the gravel on 310th Rd. east of Nighthawk Rd. A dirt road, 310th is not scheduled to be graveled.

Officials have not disclosed where the gravel was supposed to be dumped, but sources indicate it might have been destined for a location a mile or two to the west.

“They have the contract for all our rock this fall,” county engineer Brice Goebel said Tuesday.

Goebel said road and bridge employees would pick up the gravel and haul it elsewhere, but he had little to say about how the incident happened.

“I guess it’s a problem with communication,” Goebel said.

Goebel estimated that the county would use one or two trucks and a loader to clean up the gravel.

“We’re still checking,” Goebel said, of how much effort the task will be.

Jerrold Unruh, owner of J L Unruh, did not return a call seeking comment.