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Residents petition to reopen part of vacated road; county outlines petition, bond and hearing steps
Summary
Neighbors asked the commission to re‑establish minimum‑maintenance status for a vacated stretch of Humboldt Creek Road after safety and emergency‑access concerns; county staff described the petition process, bond requirement and a road viewing and public hearing scheduled for May.
Residents asked Geary County commissioners to lay out a portion of a road vacated in 2016 so the county will maintain it as a minimum‑maintenance road. Petitioners said access and emergency response problems — including a medical call last August that tested access — motivated the request.
Philip Goodyear, a local resident, and other neighbors described maintaining the route themselves with small equipment and said recent emergencies made them realize the road’s condition poses a public‑safety concern. Goodyear said volunteer maintenance was sufficient for routine use but would not support fire or ambulance access in more serious incidents.
County staff described the formal petition process: once landowners submit a petition to the commission, a bond is typically required (staff cited the common approach of roughly $50 per linear foot, held for 12 months), county staff will appoint impartial road viewers, publish notice twice in the county paper, conduct a road viewing and then hold a public hearing within 20 days of the final publication. The petitioner is responsible for posting the bond and for arranging survey and mapping work so notices can be sent to affected property owners.
The commission said a road viewing is scheduled for 9 a.m. before the next commission meeting, with a public hearing to follow at the formal meeting; staff said the process could be completed quickly if paperwork and publication schedules align, but publication and weather can affect timing. Commissioners cautioned that the petition must include a clear beginning, middle and end of the road segment and that the county will notify all property owners whose parcels touch the proposed layout.
Why it matters: Re‑opening a vacated road shifts maintenance responsibility to the county and can affect adjacent landowners, emergency response times and public access. Petitioners said the road is remote, had illicit activity when vacated, and now requires a modest county role to ensure safe access.
No formal vote was recorded at the meeting; commissioners instructed staff on the steps needed to process the petition and said they would appoint road viewers and publish required notices.
