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Fiscal court discusses whether two privately listed roads should be county-maintained
Summary
Magistrates and staff debated whether Cedar Lane and Waring Cemetery Road — currently recorded as private — meet criteria for county adoption; no final vote was taken at the meeting.
An extended discussion during the March 10 Lewis County Fiscal Court meeting examined whether two short, paved roads now listed as private — Cedar Lane and Waring Cemetery Road — should be adopted as county-maintained roads.
A magistrate told peers that records show both routes were paved and historically maintained at times by the county, but that current county road lists mark them differently: Waring carried a county-route (CR) number in the past and Cedar Lane is described as gravel in county records despite being blacktop. The magistrate asked the court to review documented inconsistencies and consider a resolution to start a formal adoption process.
County staff and other officials discussed practical criteria for adoption: how many residences are served, whether the roadway provides through access for emergency and maintenance vehicles, and whether right-of-way or recorded access exists. Ben (county staff) said an adoption resolution should include “good cause” language if the court decides to proceed; road supervisor David Goodwin and other members described physical inspections and historical maintenance patterns.
Court members repeatedly said they were not taking immediate action at the meeting and asked for time to gather owners, evidence, and a staff-drafted resolution. The transcript records no formal motion to adopt either road on March 10. Several participants urged a measured, “common-sense” approach and indicated landowners and neighbors would be invited to a future hearing if the court moves forward.
