County staff move to formalize Erickson Dike and Woodson Road dedications; drainage district urges removal of private gates

Columbia County staff told commissioners June 18 they have identified sections of Erickson Dike Road that appear to be public roads and are working with the Beaver Drainage District and landowners to complete legal dedications and address gates placed by private owners.

Mike Russell, Public Works staff, said staff reviewed records provided by Truett Stultzberg, a member of the Beaver Drainage District board, and ‘‘agree with him that that appears that portions of Erickson Dike Road are public. They’re not county roads, but public roads.’’ Russell said the county will need a short description of a section currently owned by the drainage district so that the district can sign a dedication deed to create a continuous public connection.

County staff said some gates along the roadway were erected by private property owners who believed the routes were private; because staff now consider portions of the route public, the gates will either need to be opened or permitted under existing processes. Truett Stultzberg told the board gates have blocked levee inspections and, he said, ‘‘They've prevented emergency personnel from getting to emergencies, and they've prevented the Beaver Drainage District from exercising our authority to inspect the levees.’’ Stultzberg urged the county to cooperate in removing or otherwise resolving gates that restrict access.

Staff said the Beaver Drainage District has indicated a willingness to dedicate the property needed to make a logical connection; county counsel and the county surveyor will be involved to prepare the legal descriptions and determine whether any dedications must be re‑executed or can be described and attached to existing deeds. Russell estimated the Erickson Dike Road dedications could proceed ‘‘fairly quickly’’ and suggested a timetable on the order of about two months to complete the paperwork and recording.

The Woodson Road segment, in the Woodson Drainage District, was described as a positive development: neighbors had signed several dedication deeds but those deeds lacked property descriptions. County staff said the surveyor is preparing the descriptions and the county must confirm whether to record new dedications or add descriptions to existing documents. Because the Woodson segment connects two existing county roads, staff advised that it would be county‑maintained once recorded. County staff estimated that Woodson’s connection is about one mile.

Commissioners asked about the near‑term maintenance implications. Russell said there will be immediate routine maintenance needs on newly dedicated segments (pavement repairs, brush and vegetation control) and that the county will prioritize those repairs; he did not provide a detailed budget at the hearing and said staff would return with information on fiscal impact before long.

Mary Slaughterbeck, identified in the meeting as the Woodson Drainage District secretary‑treasurer, and other neighbors initiated the deed work, Russell said, and staff thanked residents for moving the process forward. Stultzberg emphasized the levee access point: ‘‘It’s very important to engage the Beaver Drainage District, and there needs to be access to the levee at all times,’’ he said, and asked the county to oppose continued private gate closures where roads are public.

Board members asked staff to work with county counsel on the questions of local access versus county maintenance and to prepare documentation for signature and recording. No final board vote was taken; staff will complete descriptions, coordinate signatures and return the recorded deeds to make the status official and to begin county maintenance where applicable.

Why this matters: clarifying the public status of roads that run atop levees affects emergency access, levee inspection authority and routine county maintenance. County staff and drainage‑district officials framed the work as necessary to preserve access for schools, postal service and emergency responders, and to enable levee inspections required under state law.

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