Pounding Mill residents press commission to add Martin Street to Orphan Roads amid ownership dispute

At the Oct. 10, 2024 meeting of the Tazewell County Planning Commission, residents from Martin Street in Pounding Mill urged the commission to advance their petition to add a section of Martin Street to the county’s Orphan Roads system.

Sally Perkins, Williams Andrews and Robert and Lena Whitt said the petition has been dormant since summer 2024 because of a property-ownership dispute. The residents described difficulty leaving their homes and said some contracted transportation providers have denied service due to the road’s condition, which in turn has interfered with medical appointments.

County Attorney Chase Collins told the residents he also serves as attorney for the PSA and said the PSA should have restored the road to its prior condition after work several years ago. Collins invited residents to contact him directly for legal questions and the commission suggested the residents attend the next PSA board meeting and contact their district supervisor for further assistance.

Kenneth Dunford, Jr., Director of County Engineering, said engineering staff have been in contact with Martin Street residents but that he was uncertain which residents had been reached. Dunford also cautioned that if the road is accepted into the Orphan Roads system it would not guarantee immediate repairs and that work could take several years.

No formal motion or vote regarding Martin Street was taken at the meeting; the petition remains incomplete and the underlying property-ownership issue unresolved.