Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Right Of Way Validation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners close Seid Creek Road hearing and direct resolution, survey next
Summary
At a May 11 public hearing, Road Supervisor Jerod Odoms presented decades of maintenance records and neighbors offered support for validating Seid Creek Road; commissioners closed the hearing and said a resolution, survey and formal recording would follow.
Weiser, Idaho — The Washington County Board of Commissioners heard public testimony May 11 on a proposal to validate the right-of-way known as Seid Creek Road and decided to take the next procedural steps toward formal validation.
Jerod Odoms, Road and Bridge/Solid Waste Supervisor, told commissioners the county has no formal record proving Seid Creek Road is validated into the county road system but said "we do have and can show at least forty years of public maintenance" including gravel work, cattle-guard maintenance, pipe and snow removal. Odoms said the validation would clear ownership questions for a short 1,524-foot portion in dispute and would allow future work — including a planned parking/turnaround on adjacent Forest Service land — to proceed without encroaching on private property.
Several residents spoke in favor. Rob Bennatts of Cambridge said the validation moves the county toward "a solution and not another problem" and called the hearing process a positive development. Ellison Thrall, who identified herself as the daughter of a property owner in the area, raised a specific operational concern: she said the family has water rights that cross the Forest Service road and asked the county to ensure any action protects the irrigation line. Jerry Piper, vice president of operations for Cambridge Telephone, said the county and Road & Bridge have coordinated on fiber work and requested scheduling coordination to avoid duplicate road work.
Commissioners asked staff practical questions about next steps and scope. Odoms said the county typically seeks a 50-foot prescriptive easement, would prepare a resolution for a future public meeting, and then order a survey to record the validated right-of-way on county maps. Commissioner Nate Marvin asked how many private owners would be affected; Odoms said roughly three to four private owners plus utility companies had been notified.
Harberd closed the hearing at 2:18 p.m. and confirmed no decision was made that day. The Board directed staff to draft a resolution and a survey to fully document the right-of-way so the matter can be recorded and placed on county maps.
The hearing record will remain available for public inspection and the Board indicated it will take formal action on a resolution in a future open meeting.
