Requests for road work by magistrates during Monday morning’s Webster County Fiscal Court meeting led to a discussion of the need for considerable road work throughout the county.
“People call all winter (about pot holes) and all we can tell them is there is nothing we can do but put gravel in it,” said Magistrate Richard Heady. “People don’t want to hear that.”
“Maybe I ought to make a proposal I’ve been thinking about for a long time anyway,” said Judge-Executive Jim Townsend. “We could just borrow about $5 million and blacktop all the roads and pay for it over the next 10 to 12 years out of our road fund money. That would be the court’s option whether or not we do that, but I think we ought to look at it.”
“I kind of agree with you,” replied Magistrate William Winebarger. “You can gravel a road the rest of your life and you won’t never get it right. I don’t know where it goes, but it’s gone.”
“We’ve tried in the past to work it where we could use a tree sap which kind of sets them up, and then the next year come back with chip and seal. Then, in a couple of years, we’d resurface them. But the money has gotten where it’s very short to do that,” said Townsend. “I’ve thought about this for a long time.”
“It don’t sound like a bad idea,” said Winebarger.
“It’s something we can check into,” said Townsend.
The court also discussed the condition of several roads around the county which have been torn up by logging trucks.
“I think we should have some kind of ordinance where they have to file for a permit,” said Magistrate Jerry Brown. “I don’t care if it’s $5 or $10 and having a fine if you don’t get a permit. It’s not the idea of the money for the permit, it’s the idea that we know where the loggers are at.”
“They would have to get a permit before they could do any kind of logging in the county,” commented Townsend.
“We would know the condition of the road when they started and the condition of the road when they left,” said Heady. “That’s an excellent idea.”
“A lot of them just come in and go,” said Townsend.
“I understand they want to log,” said Brown. “But they could come out with a little smaller truck. They could work with the county.”
Townsend asked County Attorney Clint Prow if an ordinance could be written requiring loggers to get a permit prior to hauling logs on county roads.
Prow stated that would be appropriate with a certain amount of fine per day without the permit.
“Plus they would be expected to put the road back into as good or better condition as they found it,” added Townsend.
“Are you checking into re-chipping and sealing Smith Brantley Road from the new bridge on out because of what all they (logging trucks) done to it?” asked Heady.
Road Superintendent Linda Wilson stated the road was in disrepair partially because of the bridge construction work crews as well as road department crews.
“It’s not all because of the loggers,” said Wilson.
Magistrates also expressed concern over missing road signs.
“Somebody has stole the Webster County sign off Baldwin Ford Road,” said Winebarger.
“They steal them as fast as we put them up,” replied Wilson.
It was noted missing road signs could create a life-threatening situation when ambulance drivers miss their turns because road signs are down.
“It’s a bad situation,” said Heady.
Townsend stated there is a $1,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of anyone charged with road sign destruction or theft.
Under old business, a lone bid was opened in response to the county’s request for four new emergency sirens and an upgrade of the county’s old sirens.
Capitol Electronic Sales of Plainfield, IN, offered two proposals for the new sirens. Upgrading the county’s current sirens to electrical standards and adding new radio receiver decoders, along with four new sirens using AC current only would cost the county $69,180.
The same revamping of old sirens plus four new sirens with an AC/DC option, including batteries, would total $76,002.
Voting on whether or not to accept the bid was tabled until the bid could be reviewed to assure it meets with required specifications. The county has received a grant for the sirens.
In new business, magistrates unanimously approved an Area Development Fund resolution authorizing Townsend to apply for $5,558 to upgrade the county’s 911 dispatch system.
In attendance for the beginning of the court session were several Webster County residents whose names had been drawn to receive emergency preparedness kits, sponsored by Webster County Emergency Management Agency.
Winners of the kits were: Kay Cunningham, James Torrain, Rebecca Pollard, Kenneth Beach, Lori Rich, May Thomas, Nicholas Risley, David Sanders, Sandy Shelton, Dorothy Posey, Ida Dormeier and Joe Ross.
Two more emergency preparedness kits will be presented to residents who had registered in Onton at a special give away in the town.
