Road that’s not a road causing county conundrum

LIMEDALE — When is a county road not a county road?

That was the question before the Putnam County Commissioners Monday morning regarding County Road 280 South in southwestern Greencastle Township.

For all intents and purposes, 280 South — which joins with County Road 285 South to form a U-shaped jaunt east of Manhattan Road in Limedale — is a county road.

It is marked as a road on maps and by road signs. It is on the county’s road inventory with the State of Indiana. The Putnam County Highway Department has plowed and otherwise maintained the road over the years.

Documents show that it has been used as a county road at least as far back as 1939.

“I grew up there,” property owner Rick Parrish said, “and when I was a little kid it was used all the time.”

The problem is, in legal descriptions in the Putnam County Plat Office, County Road 280 South simply does not exist.

Its neighboring road to the south, on the other hand, is properly platted, even turning north and coming to and end about halfway between the two roads.

Not so for 280 South, though.

The issue came to light recently when Scott Williams approached the City of Greencastle about a use variance on land at the east end of 280 South. The use variance would allow Williams to expand the contractor warehouse for his Regal Custom Homes and Restoration business.

The area is under city zoning jurisdiction due to it lying within the two-mile fringe of Greencastle.

During the process, it was discovered that there was not technically a legal way for Williams to access the property.

“At this moment, he appears to be landlocked even though there has been access for decades,” Greencastle City Planner Scott Zimmerman told the Commissioners.

On the surface, the solution comes down to paperwork — getting the property owners to grant the county right-of-way on a road they’ve already been treating as if it is a public road.

County attorney Jim Ensley said the thornier issue may be where the road turns south, as it is solely on land owned by Kayla Brennan for Happy Pawz Animal Boarding & Grooming.

Still, Brennan has apparently already told Williams she would grant an easement to access his property.

Ensley noted, though, that there is a big difference between granting an easement to one person and granting right-of-way for public use.

Brennan will be approached regarding the issue of right-of-way.

Asked what his interest in the matter is, Parrish said he co-owns property on the north side of 280 South with his siblings and would like to sell it in the not-too-distant future. However, if the property is landlocked, this could prove problematic.

Zimmerman told the Commissioners he would like a solution to the problem by the Nov. 2 Greencastle BZA meeting so that he can give a recommendation to the board. However, a final resolution will not come until the land can be surveyed, a matter which could take months to complete, as there has been high demand for surveying services recently.

Roads were actually the dominant topics at Monday’s meeting, as County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts gave a final report on county road resurfacing for 2021.

Ricketts said a total of 68 miles of roads were resurfaced — 31.8 miles of chip and seal, 25.82 miles of grind and double chip and seal and 10.38 miles of hot mix — at a cost of $2,379,268.81.

To view a map displaying the road work in 2021, visit www.bannergraphic.com/files/2021putnamroadsplan.

Ricketts also shared that the plan is to do 59.82 miles next year, with more hot mix, which comes at a higher cost.

In 2023 and beyond, though, Ricketts plans to bump up production, with 70 miles of chip and seal alone each year, with any other methods only adding to the total.

“There’s kind of light at the end of the tunnel,” Ricketts said.

Ricketts’ goal is to resurface all county roads on a seven-year cycle. With 543 miles of roads on the inventory, that would mean an average of a little more than 77.5 miles per year.

In other business:

• Ricketts discussed what to do about Bridge 278 and Bridge 279 over CSX Railroad in Madison Township.

In 2019, the railroad approached the county about tearing down Bridge 279, which was built in 1909 and abandoned in 2003. In the agreement, CSX would pay for removal if the county would give up right-of-way.

While that sounded like a good deal at the time, Ricketts told the Commissioners Monday that Bridge 278, which is nearby and carries traffic over the railroad on County Road 275 South, is likely to need replacement soon.

However, such a replacement will come at an even higher cost, as replacing the one-lane, 1910 structure would require a higher bridge to meet the railroad’s current standards, as well as crossing at an angle.

“Putting a bridge at a skew costs more than it does to make it straight,” Ricketts said.

With this in mind, it may be better to start over with a new bridge on County Road 600 West, the spot where Bridge 279 now stands abandoned.

Ricketts said it would be worth comparing costs before signing any contract with CSX.

• The Commissioners approved hiring Mary Nichols as the new administrative assistant at the Putnam County Highway Department.

Commissioner Rick Woodall, who sat in on the meeting, said Nichols “definitely rose to the top” in the interview process.

Nichols is set to start on Oct. 25.

With the matter on the agenda, Ricketts inquired about placing the hiring of the two office workers at the highway under his purview rather than requiring the Commissioners’ approval.

Ensley said this is in the plan, but the county does not plan to make the change until new job descriptions are written. The attorney plans to have this completed by the end of the year.

Woodall was joined at the meeting by Commissioners Tom Helmer and David Berry, as well as Deputy Auditor Evelyn Williams.

The next meeting of the Putnam County Commissioners is set for 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 1 on the first floor of the Putnam County Courthouse.