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Residents raise safety concerns over traffic drums placed by Knife River; county staff to inspect
Summary
Residents told Crook County commissioners that Knife River placed traffic drums on Elliott Lane and Stahansick Road, blocking shoulders and limiting safe pullouts; county staff said they allowed temporary placement during plant maintenance, will inspect, and advised residents to document incidents for code enforcement.
Julie Thompson of Green Valley Road told the board that large orange "traffic drums" placed on the shoulder of Elliott Lane and Stahansick Road make it unsafe for drivers and farm equipment to find safe refuge, forcing motorists to back up around corners. "Backing down and around the corner, to me, it's a safety thing," Thompson said.
Brad Haines, a county road/staff representative, said Knife River placed the drums during maintenance at its plant to prevent trucks from parking on the immediate edge of the roadway. Haines said he had allowed the drums temporarily but acknowledged the county had not issued a formal permit for that placement. Code-compliance staff (Lewis) explained the typical complaint process: residents should submit photos and complaints so staff can attempt to verify violations from public right of way and, where appropriate, follow the code-enforcement process.
Commissioners and residents discussed potential near-term responses: asking Knife River to better communicate parking restrictions to drivers, exploring signage or no-parking zones (estimated cost for a sign ~ $500–$600 and two-week procurement lead time), and county staff conducting a site visit to seek safer alternatives to blocking the shoulder. Several residents urged that the conditional-use permit (CUP) requirements be enforced where applicable.
Why this matters: residents said the drums removed a safety refuge on narrow rural roads used by oversized loads and farm equipment. County staff said staging trucks and limited on-site space at the plant complicate enforcement and that the CUP should have anticipated staging requirements. Staff offered to inspect the site with the complainants and to follow up through standard code-compliance channels.
What’s next: county staff agreed to perform an on-site review with Brad and a planning/code staff member and to advise the public on the complaint-submission process; residents were asked to continue documenting incidents with photos or video and to provide those materials to code enforcement.
