By HOLLY GASKILL
Another stalled road conversion project has become a point of discussion among the Wells County Commissioners.
The mile gravel road, located on CR 700S from 300W to 400W in Poneto, is the highest-ranked project of those with only one petition holdout, County Engineer Nate Rumschlag said. The holdout is a one-acre property housing only an old schoolhouse.
The owners of the remaining three properties along the area were present during the commissioners’ meeting to voice their frustration.
Tom McElhaney, resident of 6998S 300W in Poneto, stated he’s petitioned for road conversion for 30 years, even offering to purchase the property. According to McElhaney, the owner rejected his request. “He lives on two paved roads,” McElhaney noted.
McElhaney added the ditch has been eating away at the current road. “It’s getting pretty dangerous — something has got to be done before long because of the ditch.”
Petitions for road conversion are due June 1. Rumschlag will provide an update regarding the petitions and conversions at the beginning of July. He also added the commissioners begin thinking about the processes and procedures for addressing holdouts.
“I’m not in the business of taking people’s rights away,” Commissioner Jeff Stringer said. “But we need to factor in safety — blind corners, Meridian Road with school buses going up and down it — at some point, we’ve got to get to that decision.”
Later, Highway Supervisor Shawn Bonar stated the county has had recent issues with dumpsters in the right-of-way, sometimes only a few feet from the road. The commissioners approved sending a letter asking these properties to move the dumpsters, which present a safety hazard for travel.
“It’s clearly unacceptable for us,” Rumschlag said.
Other during the commissioners’ meeting were:
• Highway garage construction encountered an issue with its concrete work. Bonar stated the team was working on correcting it, and project manager Conor Jackson said they currently don’t anticipate delays.
• Preceding their next meeting, June 5, the commissioners will hold a hearing regarding a request to vacate an alley in Uniondale. This hearing was previously scheduled for April 17, but the petition was withdrawn to fix surveying issues.
• As of Monday, the Wells County Jail housed 60 inmates. Of this population, 22 were pre-trial holds for the Superior Court, 20 were pre-trial holds for the Circuit Court, eight were Level 6 felony and seven were from the Department of Correction.
holly@news-banner.com
