County considers gates to address some road issues
Staff writer
Marion County Commission is considering a policy that would allow property owners to close low- and minimum-maintenance roads with gates.
The discussion was held Monday by the commission after acting public works director John Summerville advised the commission of a request for gates on a road.
The road is Alfalfa, south of 280th Road. The road ends in a pasture and is impassable when it rains.
Commissioner Randy Dallke said he has had a similar request for a road in his district. Drivers from U.S.-50 sometimes get stuck on the road when they pull off for a break. Others abuse the mud road by taking four-wheel-drive vehicles on it after a rain, making it impassable for farmers in the area.
The commission expressed a concern for doing this for these two areas and the flood of requests for gates from other landowners that could follow.
Summerville suggested one way to deter that would be to require property owners to pay for the gates and materials needed and the county install them. Dallke said he also wants letters from the property owners, making the requests.
In other business:
- Cooperative Grain & Supply of Hillsboro was the lower bidder for fuel. That bid was $12,656 for 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel at $3.616 per gallon, $5,023 for 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel at $3.349 per gallon, and $9,795 for 3,000 gallons of unleaded fuel at $3.625 per gallon, for a total of $27,474. Cardie Oil Company of Tampa presented a total bid of $27,558 for the same amount of fuel.
- Summerville was instructed to begin negotiations for land related to a bridge on 240th Road.
- Summerville asked for and received a 10-minute executive session for personnel. The session was extended another 10 minutes to include county clerk Carol Maggard. When the meeting reconvened, the commission approved a part-time employee’s wage being reduced.