Residents complain of oversized rock, dust on gravel roads; county public works to investigate

Residents from a rural subdivision told the Leavenworth County Commission on Nov. 19 that recent rock placed on a gravel road is larger than specified, causing vehicle damage and heavy dust.

“My name is Dave Blackburn. I live North of here on, 1 99th Street,” said a resident who handed commissioners a printed handout about the road. Another resident, Dennis Higgins, said the road has been “worse now than it was when I moved in there” and described dust that at times obscured a neighbor’s house. Higgins urged the county to improve service and questioned whether the county was getting the gravel size specified in contracts.

Bill from county public works told the board the county typically purchases screened rock for many uses but also uses a cheaper B‑3 product in summer; he said trucks occasionally dig into the base of a quarry pile and can pull larger aggregate into a load. Bill told the commission staff would inspect the submitted photos and samples, contact the quarry that supplied the material and, if the problem recurs, consider avoiding that quarry.

Commissioners pressed residents on whether they had contacted the county shop; residents said they had called but graders did not return frequently enough. Commissioners acknowledged county budget and aggregate availability limits, while saying public works would review the complaint and report back.

The board did not take formal action at the meeting beyond asking staff to investigate and follow up with the complainants.

What happens next: Public works staff will inspect the location identified by residents, attempt to trace the rock to a quarry, seek an explanation from that supplier and report back to the commission.