Marysville residents press council for permanent fix to Twelfth Road after grinding raises dust and safety concerns

Residents on Twelfth Road pressed the Marysville City Council during public comment about a recent road-grinding project they say has left the street dusty, muddy and unsafe for school buses and pedestrians.

The residents urged the council to accelerate plans for a permanent surface and raised specific concerns about the rock used as a temporary base. "You can't just throw options at us and increase our taxes because the city is not maintaining our road," resident Chris Mosseruno said during the public comment period, describing potholes and repeated failed patching before the most recent work.

City staff said the work was done to address a safety issue. "I will speak to the reasoning behind tearing it up, and that was safety," Josh, the city administrator, told residents, adding that grinding the old surface and installing a compacted base was intended as an intermediate step, not the final surface. He said the plan is to let the material “settle” (with rain and traffic) and then place a proper gravel topcoat before installing a permanent hard surface when funding is available.

Why it matters: Twelfth Road carries school buses and local traffic; residents said the condition is affecting property use and values and creates safety and dust problems for yards and sidewalks. Several residents also reported the temporary aggregate contains a high proportion of fines and clay and questioned whether the material had been tested before placement.

Details from the meeting: - Residents described the temporary base as clay-heavy and dusty; at least one speaker said similar quarry material had to be bladed off other local roads after rains. Josh said the material was obtained from a local quarry and "was not tested by our staff," but that the quarry is a regular local supplier. He said staff had been told the rock was "fairly good rock" at the time of purchase. - Council members and the mayor repeatedly framed the grinding as a safety-first, interim fix and said the council is committed to a permanent surface but constrained by budget. Mayor Todd E. Fry (present for the meeting) told residents the council intends to pursue funding in the next budget cycle and reiterated that a permanent surface is a priority. - Timeline: City staff and council repeatedly referenced a funding and construction target of about two years for the permanent surface. Several council members said they would try to prioritize the project during the upcoming budget process. - Near-term steps: Staff said they will monitor the compacted base after rainfall, pursue placement of a larger gravel topcoat when conditions permit, and evaluate dust-control measures in spring if needed. Staff encouraged residents to provide contact information to city hall for updates on moisture/compaction testing.

Points of contention and requests from residents included whether the project could be phased to reduce disruption; concerns about mobilization costs for phased work; and requests for explicit commitments in writing. Council members responded that written commitments tied to budget and contract approvals are the formal mechanism and encouraged residents to continue to raise the issue at council and during budget deliberations.

The council did not take a vote on a new funding appropriation at the meeting, but members directed staff to keep the item on the agenda and to report progress during budget discussions. Staff offered to inspect the base after the next rains, run compaction/moisture checks and notify residents who leave contact information at City Hall.

The issue is expected to return to council as staff brings updates and as the city considers funding in the next budget cycle.