Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Roads And Bridges topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Property owners petition Saline County to gate portion of Ottawa Road; commissioners begin minimum‑maintenance process
Summary
Two property owners asked Saline County to permit a gated, minimum‑maintenance designation for a short, earth‑surfaced segment of Ottawa Road that serves two parcels and has been subject to illegal dumping and heavy rutting during inclement weather. The board reviewed procedures; no final action was taken.
Saline County commissioners on May 13 heard a petition to allow controlled access and a gate on a short, earth section of Ottawa Road on the county line with Ottawa County.
Darren Fischel, road and bridge administrator, said the segment is an earth road that is not a through route and currently serves access to two properties. "This section is a low maintenance road that only serves access to 2 properties," Fischel said, adding that a closed bridge at the west end leaves the road functionally dead‑ended and that heavy use during bad weather has required excessive maintenance. He said the petitioners — Thomas Pestinger and Marion Woody — would pay initial gate installation costs and the county would provide locks and future maintenance once the gate is installed.
Fischel described the statutory and county procedural steps for declaring a road minimum maintenance and installing a gate: the commission must view the road, instruct county counselor to draft a resolution, transmit the resolution to the planning commission for recommendation, publish notice in the official county paper at least 10 days before a hearing, and coordinate with the adjoining county because the road lies on the county line. He said Ottawa County officials have been notified and have not objected to proceeding.
Commissioners emphasized that gating under the minimum‑maintenance designation is not a vacation of the road; the county would remain accountable for maintenance but would likely perform fewer routine activities and respond when owners request work (often a few times annually for pasture access). No vote to change the road's status was taken; Fischel said the presentation was an informational first step and outlined subsequent public‑hearing steps required under county procedure.
The petition will move through the viewing and public‑hearing steps outlined by county staff; if the commission adopts a resolution after the required procedures and hearings, signs noting "minimum maintenance — travel at your own risk" and those referencing the gate would be posted within 10 days of adoption.
