Tuesday marked the second evening meeting for the Allen County Commission. The meeting was short a commissioner with the absence of David Lee and the crowd was considerably smaller than the previous evening meeting.
Dimity Lowell spoke to commissioners on behalf of residents of Montana Road in Iola, sharing concerns about parking. “We’ve been having a lot of truck problems on our road,” said Lowell. She explained that the road has become increasingly congested due to the routine parking of semi-trucks, especially on weekends and overnight during the week.
Montana Road is half residential and half commercial, with Gates Corporation located on the north side, just across the street from Lowell’s house.
“We get truckers that stop in the middle of the roadway and then they sit there for 10 hours,” Lowell continued. She pointed out that semi-trucks are frequently parked on both sides of Montana Road, often remaining overnight to comply with 10-hour rest regulations.
LOWELL’S main concerns are the safety risks, traffic obstruction, noise and pollution, as well as the impact on the residents.
“The parked trucks obstruct visibility for drivers and create dangerous conditions for children, pedestrians, and pets,” she explained. She added that the large vehicles hinder the normal flow of traffic and limit access for emergency services. As for noise and pollution, Lowell says the idling trucks produce noise and exhaust which disrupt the peace and air quality of the neighborhood.
There are available alternatives for the truck drivers, said Lowell. A truck stop is located two miles away with the appropriate facilities for overnight parking.
“If we have no parking signs on both sides of the street, then the truckers will have to go to the truck stop,” she said. Lowell then requested the commission install “no parking” signs along the entire length of Montana Road.
“When we’ve called the police department because of these issues, their suggestion was to go see the county commissioners,” she explained.
Road & Bridge Director Jeremy Hopkins questioned the county’s jurisdiction in the matter.
“That might be the city because we don’t maintain that section through there,” he said. Lowell pointed out that the city is responsible for half of the road, while the county is responsible for the other half. “I’m on the county side,” she said.
Commissioner Jerry Daniels suggested that Allen County Sheriff Anthony Maness take a look at the concerns. “Since this is somewhat a traffic issue, I’m going to let the sheriff check on it,” said Daniels. “He can return to us in a week or two with his suggestions. Then we’ll see what we can do and go from there.”
IN OTHER NEWS, Southeast Kansas Community Action Program (SEK-CAP) Community Engagement Coordinator Casey Brown sought a letter of support from commissioners for a Community Service Block Grant (CSBG). “It’s a federal initiative that runs through state and tribal territories,” he explained. “It’s part of the core funding of community action programs across the nation.”
The CSBG program provides funding to support services aimed at alleviating poverty in communities.
Brown shared some impacts that SEK-CAP currently has in the county. “SEK-CAP has 22 families housed in the county through either Section 8 or tenant-based rental assistance,” he said. “We also have our early childhood education center in Iola that serves 24 kiddos.” He added that SEK-CAP has additional early childhood education visitation services throughout the county.
SEK-CAP serves 12 counties in the region, including Allen County. “Part of being a community action program is that we have a community needs assessment that we do every three to five years,” said Brown. “This is where we gather input from our community. We will gladly take anyone who wants to complete it.” The survey can be accessed at www.sek-cap.com.
