Allen County Commissioners are looking for ways to better prioritize county road work. During Tuesday morning’s meeting, Commissioner David Lee recommended forming a citizen-led committee to assess which roads were in need of attention.
“As folks are talking to us, the big topic is roads. What are your thoughts on having a citizens group, along with yourself, to sit down and help prioritize the roads based upon traffic and different variables?” Lee asked Road and Bridges Director Jeremy Hopkins. He added that the group could be comprised of a couple people from each of the three districts in the county.
“Hopefully something like this would help people across the county realize that their peers are the ones helping prioritize,” added Lee.
“It’s not us. We’re not picking our favorite roads.”
Hopkins noted that he would be in favor of the suggestion and he would look into it. He added that some variables to consider when discussing roads include cost and traffic volume.
Commissioner Jerry Daniels asked whether this topic could be something that Thrive incorporates into their community conversations.
“We know that when you go to Mildred, they’ll say the roads are the worst in the county,” countered Lee. “Then, you go to Elsmore and they’ll say between Elsmore and Savonburg is the worst road in the county.”
Thrive Economic Development Director Jared Wheeler agreed with Lee’s assertion. “You’re right, it comes up in every conversation,” said Wheeler. “To David’s point, it’s amazing how bad the roads get from one conversation to the next.”
If a citizen-led committee were formed, it could look at a list of roads that are in need of attention, rate them, and discuss where to begin, said Lee. “As a group, they can say, ‘Hey, maybe this road over here is worse than mine is,’” he noted.
REGARDLESS of the method, Commissioner John Brocker believes the roads need to be addressed. “Infrastructure is one of the things we should be more concerned about than anything. We’ve got to start addressing it,” he said.
Lee mentioned an email he received helped motivate his suggestion. “A while back, I had an individual say ‘You’re moving the county in the wrong direction,’” he said. “Well, let this citizen-led group help move the county in the direction that they think it needs to go. We need some input.”
Daniels asked Hopkins to think it over, then come back and let the commissioners know what they can do to help during the chip and seal season.
“Equipment, personnel, do you need some seasonal guys? What can we do to help you get as much done as possible?”
Closing out the discussion, Lee asked his fellow commissioners to come up with names of interested people from their districts. “Maybe in a couple weeks, we can put those names together and give them to you,” he said to Hopkins.
IN OTHER NEWS, commissioners approved a service repair quote from Foley Equipment for $65,051.98 for a new engine and hydraulic pump on a road grader. “It’s just shy of a full rebuild,” noted Hopkins. He added that since a full rebuild would cost approximately $200,000, the repairs would be a more economical way to extend the machine’s use.
