Bonner County to put reaffirmation of ending Trestle Creek plowing on regular meeting agenda

Bonner County commissioners agreed at a public workshop to place a formal vote on the next regular business meeting agenda to reaffirm a prior decision to stop county snowplowing and maintenance beyond the snowmobile turnaround on Trestle Creek Road.

The issue matters to dozens of year-round and seasonal residents who have relied on county plowing, county and Forest Service officials said, and the board said it wants to be clear and consistent about when the county will maintain roads that are not listed in the county's Schedule A maintenance agreement with the U.S. Forest Service.

Kyle Lee, road manager for the North Zone of the U.S. Forest Service, opened the discussion by recounting a long informal arrangement in which Bonner County crews continued plowing a stretch of road from the snowmobile parking lot up to Star Lane. Lee said the segment "was never written into the Schedule A" and described a history of handshake agreements and expectations. "These are residents that have lived out there since before I was born, and I'm 45 years old," Lee said, adding that many residents cannot afford private contractors and that improper equipment would damage the road if…