Committee to study road options at lake
Marion County Commission appointed a committee Friday to recommend legal and cost-effective solutions to poor conditions of back roads at the county lake.
Committee members are Gerald Kelsey, road superintendent, and county lake residents Ed Davies, John Yoder, Mary Davis, and Monty Thomas.
There are only three and a half miles of roads, some of which have been in existence for more than 50 years, but their care is more complicated than for a long county road.
They vary in width and condition. Some were plotted, some weren't. The plotted roads were never formally accepted by previous county commissions, though some property owners say their deeds show easements for roads.
Other roads weren't plotted at all. Adjacent property owners own the land to the middle of the road. In some cases, homes, gardens, or other features have been constructed almost to the existing one-lane road bed.
Utilities, including above-ground lines and below ground sewer and water systems, also follow the unofficial roads, taking up space needed to expand roads or provide drainage ditches.
"Some, we would be lucky if we could get a 16-foot road because of all the buildings and utilities there," Kelsey said.
While there might be a couple of roads that could be brought up to county standards, others vary widely. Sometimes, the same road varies in width from one point to the next.
"There are places out there you could get equipment in, but in some, there's no way you could get in a ditch," said Monty Thomas, a resident.
Adding rock without ditches can make problems worse. Instead of draining into a ditch, water running off the road may flow into a house if the road is higher than adjacent property.
The county requires roads to be at least 40 feet wide with 60 preferred.
Commissioners generally consider the roads private drives, as do some property owners, who have erected signs to that effect.
"What does that (private drive sign) tell us? That we have nothing to do with it," said Gerald Kelsey, superintendent.
Commissioner Howard Collett, whose district includes the area, said if the roads are private drives, the county can't accept the liability and responsibility for their condition, without doing so for other private drives in the county.
"Placing county property on something that isn't ours is a problem," he said. "I want you to have good roads, but we have to work together to get better roads."
With modern homes generating a great deal of property taxes, and with those residents bringing income and sales taxes to the county, most lake residents feel they aren't getting a fair return on their tax contribution.
"There has to be a way to eliminate this problem," said Dan Crumrine, who lives at the lake.
Thomas, whose driveway connects directly with a paved road, said he supports homeowners most affected because the roads are used by the public, no matter how they are marked. Adjacent homeowners, potential buyers looking at homes and property, and curious members of the public all travel on the roads.
"I'm not saying we can get ditches and oil roads, but they can be a little better," Thomas said.
Several home owners noted that if the county doesn't own the road, and the homesite shows part of the property taken for right of way, who is responsible?
"They say I own it to the middle of the road, but they can't produce a deed," said Lin Slifer, a homeowner who built back from the property line due to easement restrictions.
Crumrine said the county planning commission has approved zoning appeals at the county lake, sometimes with restrictions, but no one inspects or enforces the restrictions. This exacerbates the road care problem because it encourages homeowners to build right up to the existing road.
Thomas pointed out that better roads would encourage more home sales and residential development at the county lake. This would generate more tax dollars in an area where some vacant lots are going for $15,000 to $25,000, he said.
"When you have a $150,000 to $200,000 house, and they have to drive through mud and water to get to it, it's no wonder it doesn't sell," he said.
When homeowners buy and spread gravel, a tractor with blade is used, smaller than county road maintainers.
Thomas suggested the county look at millings, the ground-up surface of road repair projects. It will reduce dust and should last longer, he said. Kelsey noted that millings are more expensive than road rock.
But the rock surface may be the least cost concern. Each road to be widened probably will involve moving power poles and lines and other utilities. Also, the project could require extensive engineering to find the best way to shape roads and control runoff.
"I think it's at least a million dollars if you want to curb and gutter the thing," Crumrine said.
Responsibility
Commissioners weren't in complete agreement on solutions.
Commissioner Leroy Wetta said the county was being asked to correct a lack of foresight on the part of developers.
"We're being asked to do the developers work to bring those roads up to specification," he said. If the roads legally are considered private drives, then every property owner in the county will have the right to ask for county maintenance of their private drives, Wetta said.
He suggested the improvement district, which manages the sewer and water system, take over the road issue.
"You have a small city out there, but you're not acting like a city," he said. "Most cities maintain their roads."
Currently, the improvement district isn't organized to oversee roads, though it could take the legal action necessary to add that to its responsibilities.
"I would have to look at some participation by the property owners," Wetta said.
Chairman Bob Hein said he expected "we'll work something out."
Roads at Eastshore, an unincorporated community near the reservoir, are maintained by the county. All these streets were designed and maintained to county standards and have drainage ditches, Kelsey said.
