Lake roads

To the editor:

I have taken away three things from an Aug. 26 meeting with county commissioners and their legal counsel.

First, we do not agree on most things but do agree that county lake roads are public and not private.

After presenting plats stating that “streets and alleys are hereby dedicated to the public use,” they agreed lake roads were public roads but wouldn’t agree they are county roads.

The Kansas County Unit Road System, of which Marion County is part, provides that “the county is responsible for maintaining all public roads in the county outside the cities.”

Similar points are made in the June edition of the University of Kansas Transportation Center quarterly newsletter by Norm Bowers and the Kansas Local Road Management Handbook.

It stands to reason that the county must maintain public lake roads.

Along with responsibility for maintaining roads comes liability. A county can be liable for negligence if a wreck is caused by lack of maintenance. Counties also must maintain roads to allow access for law enforcement, firefighters, and ambulances.

Commissioner Jonah Gehring said hot oil could not be used when laying down millings within a water basin.

If that is true, why do commissioners allow hot asphalt to be placed over crushed rock when chip-sealing Lakeshore Dr., the closest road to the lake?

We’ve seen the orange “Fresh Oil” signs along the roadway when this is done.

Commissioners and their counsel seem to be coming up with excuses, being evasive, and stonewalling the idea that they should be maintaining lake roads.

My third take is that, contrary to what was said at the meeting and reported in the Record, I never received a July 1 letter or email from County Counselor Brad Jantz.

Greg Wyatt
Marion County Lake