Spencer County residents oppose proposed closure of Edmonson Road; court starts discontinuance process
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Summary
Residents told the Fiscal Court that Edmonson Road is the sole access to multiple properties and urged the court not to discontinue it. Several neighbors reported flooding damage and trespass; proponents of closure cited vandalism and dumping. The court said the legal survey/posting process has begun and further hearings will follow.
Residents who use Edmonson Road urged the Spencer County Fiscal Court not to close the road at a public hearing, saying the county route is the only legal access to several parcels and that closing it would leave properties landlocked.
“Sue Evanston” (identified in the record as a resident who owns property served by the road) told the court the road “has been there for about a hundred and fifty years” and that her family has used it since 1953. “The road is the only way that we have to get into this property. We are rain‑locked. There’s no other way to get in,” she said.
Other residents described repeated flood damage, washed‑out sections and personal property loss that made travel difficult. Deb Edmonson said her family has farmed and used the road for decades; she told the court a grandson plans to build a cabin there and that alternate access would be cost‑prohibitive.
Several speakers also described criminal activity and dumping. Grant Barnett said he has documented theft, vandalism and dumped vehicles and that those problems prompted calls to consider discontinuing the county’s maintenance obligation. “I would like to keep people from dumping trash, stealing things, going back here to do the drills,” Barnett said, adding he would sign an easement to preserve neighbors’ access if the road were removed from the county system.
County staff and magistrates described the statutory discontinuance process under Kentucky law: the court must post notices, appoint two disinterested parties to inspect the road and report back with findings, and hold the matter in public. The court told speakers that process has been started and that the two disinterested parties have been identified. The court said another public hearing will occur after the survey and report.
The court did not vote to close the road at the meeting. Officials advised property owners that discontinuance, if approved later, generally converts the county right‑of‑way to private easement rights that preserve the same access for affected properties, although local officials urged neighbors to agree on a private easement in writing where possible.
Court staff said relevant statutory exceptions — for example, if county work has occurred on the road within the prior three years or if one or more owners object — will affect any final decision. The item will return to the court after the disinterested‑party inspections and public notice postings are completed.
