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Dearborn County commissioners table Dog Ridge Road apparent right‑of‑way petition after contested hearing
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing with competing historical survey evidence and residents' safety concerns, Dearborn County commissioners voted to table a petition to establish an apparent right of way on Dog Ridge Road and asked attorneys to draft ordinances for review in June.
Dearborn County commissioners on an evening agenda heard more than an hour of testimony over a petition to establish an apparent right of way on Dog Ridge Road before voting to table the matter and request draft ordinances for review.
Petitioners and their surveyor presented historical maps, deeds and field observations they said show a roadway feature historically used as a county road. Lewis Krause Jr., a surveyor for JDJ Surveying and Engineering, displayed atlases and deeds and told the board that a deed "calls out a post in the road indicating that it was definitely a road." Counsel for the petitioners argued the record and prior county action supported recognizing the apparent right of way and offered to indemnify the county and take on maintenance.
Opponents — including nearby landowners and neighbors — disputed both the need and the safety of granting access. Property owner Bob Graff told commissioners the land "has to remain in one continuous piece" and said he did not plan subdivision or development. Resident Mark Hall warned that "the last half mile of Dog Ridge Road absolutely cannot accommodate two‑way traffic," citing narrow lanes, lack of shoulders and sight‑line problems.
Seavers Incorporated, which sold the central tract to Grackle LLC, said the reservation of an easement in the deed was intended to preserve access for future family members. Dan Beavers of Seavers Incorporated said the right‑of‑way language was included so future generations "won't have to come before the commissioners" for access.
Commissioners closed the public hearing after testimony and debate and voted to table the petition. They asked the parties' attorneys to submit proposed ordinances by June 12 and scheduled review of the materials at the board's June 16 meeting so an absent commissioner could review the record.
The board's move does not decide whether Dog Ridge Road is a county highway; it sets a process for staff and counsel to draft ordinance language and for the commission to consider that language at a later date.
