Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Roads topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents praise reopening of Payne and Ford roads; raise pothole and paving concerns
Summary
Residents said Payne and Ford roads have reopened after prolonged closures; they thanked county engineers but warned that construction-related wear and remaining potholes create safety and maintenance concerns. County engineering confirmed responsibility and said paving will be addressed in the regular paving program.
Two Lake County residents told the Board of Commissioners Thursday that the reopening of Payne and Ford roads is welcome but left continuing concerns about potholes and long-term repairs.
"I'm very grateful for all the people who now can breathe a sigh of relief, that Payne and Ford have been open for over a month now," said Laurie Bobin, a Lake County resident of 33 years. Bobin said Payne reopened roughly three weeks before Ford and that the roads had been closed for "2 years and 3 and a half months."
Tammy Gaber, who lives on Ford Road, thanked the county engineer's office for the repairs but raised safety concerns about the current surface. "Unfortunately, because of the construction, the road was bad to begin with and it is still bad. It is an unsafe pothole now," Gaber said, noting that temporary fills applied before a winter storm were washed away and that heavy construction traffic had further degraded the road base.
Commissioners and residents discussed who is responsible for repairs. A county official confirmed that county engineering is responsible for the Ford Road work. At one point an engineer noted there is a planned revetment project on Blair; a staff member said the contract had been signed the day before.
A commissioner asked the county engineer to provide details on where Ford Road stands in the paving schedule and to confirm whether final paving would be added to the regular paving program. "I'll request the paving program...on what they're planning to do," the commissioner said. County staff said they would route resident concerns to the appropriate engineering staff.
Residents asked that meeting recordings be available to the public; a county staff member confirmed audio files can be placed on the county website.
There were no formal votes on road repairs at the workshop. The discussion combined resident reports of recently completed repairs with requests for follow-up about permanent paving and base repairs.
