Maiden Rock board reports road damage, urges residents to report heavy manure-spreading traffic

Chairman Jerry F. Duden called the Town of Maiden Rock board into session on April 14 and led a discussion about road damage and heavy manure-spreading activity now that seasonal road bans have lifted.

Supervisor John Danneker described a steady stream of manure-spreading trucks using county roads as staging near local grain bins, saying residents have observed as many as "three per minute" at peak times and that lanes had been blocked while flaggers managed traffic. Danneker said he personally spoke to one operator, provided them a copy of the ordinance, and planned to follow up with additional information for the operator.

Duden explained the Well Rescue Plan Act and provided a copy to Mary Anne Wise to distribute to residents, noting the act's relevance to protecting domestic wells from contamination tied to spreading activities. The board encouraged residents to report concerns about trucks or road damage and made reporting phone numbers available on printed cards.

Board members said some road damage has already been observed on County H/CC and asked residents to watch staging areas and report violations so the town and county can investigate. The board did not adopt new restrictions at the meeting; members discussed monitoring and reporting as the immediate step.

The board also noted there are 11 farms in the township scheduled for manure spreading across approximately 1,100 acres; no enforcement actions or schedule changes were announced at the meeting.

The town will continue to monitor road conditions and coordinate with county authorities. The Planning Commission will resume meetings in May to address related land-use and road impacts as needed.