Lake roads are county responsibility
A committee of residents at Marion County Lake told county commissioners Wednesday that a review of historical records indicates county commissioners have been aware of, and at least tacitly approved of, roads at county lake residences since the 1940s.
"Almost all (plats) make reference to roads being open for public use," said Ed Davies, spokesman for the group.
For years, commissioners have said the 2.8 miles of roads at the county lake were built as private lanes and that the county never accepted responsibility for them. New subdivisions must have roads 60 feet wide.
The committee found that the original roads were designed by James Meisner, county engineer at the time.
"If he laid them out, they probably were laid out to the specification of that time," said Monty Thomas, committee member.
Thomas said the narrow roads leading from Lakeshore Drive appear to function as alleys, providing access to wider streets farther back. This provides more frontage space for lots, he said.
"When you analyze it, there was a plan," he said. "But at that time, 30 feet was a big road."
Davies said the committee understood the county's position, in that state law gives commissioners responsibility for roads, but wide latitude in what type of condition they should be maintained.
"The law has a lot of gray area," he said.
"We know there are legal procedures to open roads, and whether those drawings qualify, I don't know," said Commissioner Howard Collett.
At a public meeting of residents, most understood that any care of the roads would be within existing widths, Davies said. Because the roads often don't have ditches, the committee recommended use of ground asphalt instead of gravel.
Commissioners didn't take any action, but agreed to study the material.
"I don't know what we'll do, but you've done a lot of work, and we appreciate it," Collett said. "We won't forget it."
Rural address
In a related matter, commissioners gave permission to establish a special addressing system for an informal subdivision just outside Hillsboro.
Many of those homes east of Hillsboro use a 190th Street address, even though they use a private lane to reach their homes. Easements have been granted to use the lane but it is not a county road.
The problem is that the four-digit addresses for those homes have all been used, but space remains for two or three more homes.
"We've run out of addresses, and before they can build or do anything, they need an address," said Shelly Abbott-Becker, communications director.
Rural addresses were established to make use of enhanced 911 calls, which can trace a call from a land phone to its point of origin. Assigning an address out of order causes confusion for emergency responders.
"If it doesn't abut a county road, it needs to be platted as a subdivision," Collett said.
David Brazil, planning and zoning administrator, said the subdivision was in place before zoning began.
"There are two places we have problems, one is the county lake, and one is this area here," he said. "These areas are poster children for planning and zoning. When you plan things, these issues are kept at a minimum."
Commissioners decided to let Abbott-Becker work with Robin Taylor in the appraiser's office to set the address. They recommended adding a letter designation, such as 1087-A, to the homes.
They emphasized that the decision does not mean the county is accepting responsibility for maintenance of the lane.
"If we acknowledge its existence, we've got another county lake," Wetta said.
