County to stop maintenance of flood-prone road

Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Maintained by the Putnam County Highway Department for more than 50 years despite being on private property, a 180-foot stretch of road in Clinton Township is actually in the floodplain of Raccoon Lake and prone to wash out often, such as during February when a torrential rain washed away large portions of the road just three days after new gravel was installed.
Courtesy photo

Some Clinton Township residents may find themselves up a creek (or rather across it) when Putnam County stops helping with the care of the stretch of gravel that leads to their homes.

County Road 750 North comes to a dead end in the Portland Mills area. However, after the county road officially ends, another 180 feet of roadway leads to five homes.

There are three problems with this stretch of road as it relates to the Putnam County Highway Department and the Putnam County Commissioners.

The first is that it is not officially part of the county road inventory. However, the Highway Department has continued to provide gravel for the road over the years so that the residents can still reach their homes and there is a spot for a school bus turnaround.

The second, more fundamental, problem is the area is in a floodplain and has been since Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon Lake) was built in the early 1960s. Each summer when Big Racoon Creek is dammed, the lake goes up and reaching these homes becomes problematic.

“When the lake gets up, it floods their driveways and they have to use a boat to get out,” Putnam County Commissioner Rick Woodall explained during the commissioners’ first March meeting Monday morning.

County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts told the commissioners last month that he had contacted the Army Corps of Engineers, which built and maintains the dam, but was offered no help.

The third problem — that of liability — is probably the deciding factor. Woodall told the Banner Graphic officials have been advised that they should not continue maintaining a road that is technically on private property.

“Our lawyers and insurance company say, ‘What if you tear something up and someone sues you? You weren’t even supposed to be there,’” Woodall said.

So on Monday, the commissioners agreed to discontinue the practice of maintaining the last 180 feet of road.

“We’ve determined that it is not a county road,” Woodall said. “We’ve maintained it for a lot of years and put tens and tens and tens of thousands of dollars into it. We’ve decided we are not going to maintain it anymore. We will notify the landowners.”

Besides the liability issue, a recent event may have also swayed the commissioners’ opinion. In February, the Highway Department dumped several loads of rock in the area.

Three days later, a torrential rain destroyed that work, sending “30 to 50 tons of rock down the drain.”

“It’s, in my opinion, a crazy situation,” Woodall said. “But we can’t continue to put all this money into it and I don’t know what else to do.”

Despite the various issues, Woodall said he and his fellow commissioners agonized over the decision and how it must look to residents who have simply had the road maintained for more than 50 years.

“It frustrates me so bad because I don’t want to do it,” Woodall said.

In preparing for this outcome, Ricketts said he spoke with the affected bus driver and arranged for a different spot to turn around.

In other business:

• The Putnam County Health Department is partnering with the Highway Department to purchase an electronic message board.

Joni Young explained that it is the sort of sign that is mounted on a trailer and is used to divert traffic or warn of upcoming hazards in emergency situations.

The sign, which comes with cones, barrels and GPS capability, comes at a price of nearly $22,000. Of that, a Health Department wellness grant will pay $18,000, with the Highway Department covering the rest.

The Highway Department will also store, maintain and operate the equipment.

“In the event of an emergency, they’re going to help the health department get it to the location,” Young said, adding that use of the sign will be open to other county agencies.

“It’s useful in case of emergency but it’s also useful to other agencies in the county,” she said.

• Judges Matt Headley and Denny Bridges were in attendance to discuss progress toward the third court, which is slated to begin on July 1.

Headley told the commissioners he is contacting contractors to get quotes on converting the current juvenile probation office into an office for Magistrate Melinda Jackman-Hanlin and her staff.

Commissioner David Berry said he and courthouse custodian Brian Smith had been making similar inquiries. They will then compare notes.

Headley added that he hopes that the conversion to e-filing, which should be made in the next 60 days, will ease the transition to another courtroom.

• With the recent resignation of Nancy Wells from the County Plan Commission, the commissioners are looking for someone to fill her position.

To keep partisan balance on the commission, the new appointee will need to be a Democrat.

The commissioners will accept applications, which can be sent to the Putnam County Auditor, 1 W. Washington St., Room 20, Greencastle, IN 46135. Applications should be received prior to the commissioners meeting on Monday, April 1.

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  • Why was the highway department maintaining a private road in the first place? They don't even maintain half the public roads! Try driving down 800 North and 500 East and you'll see what I mean.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Wed, Mar 6, 2019, at 11:36 AM
  • *

    Good to hear that common sense has prevailed somewhere. The County should not be maintaining any private roads unless they want to maintain ALL private roads. (Just maintaining Wildwood, Apple Blossom, and Ivanwald would likely break the budget.)

    Why does there need to be "partisan balance" on a county plan commission? Planning should not be a Republican/Democrat thing. It should be a county thing. Republicans, Libertarians, or anyone other than Democrats will not be considered - that's a grand way to run a government. How about opening it to ANYONE (regardless of any political affiliation) that is willing to discuss and work toward the future of the county?

    We should want the best people - not the people with simply deemed proper associations.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Wed, Mar 6, 2019, at 1:20 PM
  • There is more rock in that picture than there is on our entire road...

    -- Posted by shadowhunter on Wed, Mar 6, 2019, at 5:27 PM
  • Go down 650 E and 300 N . When they do finally put rock on it , it is never enough . And then the graters come and practice on our road and push it all in the ditch . It’s more a dirt road than gravel. And if you report needing gravel you even get less rock put on it. The county would spend less money if they chip and sealed every county gravel road. They have no problem using it for there dump trucks to get somewhere else. Tearing it up even more

    -- Posted by l.sillery73 on Thu, Mar 7, 2019, at 11:23 AM
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