Committee to consider abandoning portion of Old State Route 8 for transfer to Travel Town Incorporated

The chair opened discussion of a proposal to abandon and convey a portion of Old State Route 8 to Travel Town Incorporated and asked Director McEwen to summarize the request.

Director McEwen said staff attached a discontinuance map and that the state issued a discontinuance on 12/15/1967. He told the committee the southern part of the roadway was abandoned and conveyed in 1996 and that the county currently has no use for the northern portion now under consideration. "I attached a map that kinda shows the portion of the roadway that we're looking to convey to Travel Town," he said, adding that Travel Town intends to merge the parcel into adjacent property and maintain an access easement for a Stewart's billboard.

A committee member asked whether Stewart's owns the billboard site and who would pay deed or filing costs; Director McEwen replied the property owner would pay the filing fees and that the conveyance would include language preserving access to the billboard for maintenance. McEwen said the county attorney reviewed the proposal and "could not see why there would be any need for us to hang on to it," but staff would continue due diligence with town and highway officials.

After questions about ownership, costs and the easement, the chair proposed moving the abandonment item forward to next month's meeting as a new-business action item for formal consideration; the committee agreed to proceed in that fashion.

What happens next: the committee will place the abandonment and conveyance to Travel Town Incorporated on next month's agenda as an action item so members can vote on a formal resolution. Staff said the conveyance would preserve an easement to allow continued access to the Stewart's billboard.