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Road matters highlight marathon Commissioners meeting
A number of items crowded the agenda of the Putnam County Commissioners meeting on Monday.
As they tend to do, though, road matters came to the forefront of several discussions during the two-plus hour meeting.
The point is that new County Highway Superintendent/Engineer James Peck will inherit his share of successes and challenges when he takes over the department on Monday.
Among the successes will be $1 million in road funding from the state to help with paving projects through the state Community Crossings program, an announcement that was made Tuesday. (See story on page 1A.)
Monday’s meeting, however, highlighted the discontent some in the county have with the condition of their roads.
A group of residents from County Road 700 South, County Road 100 East and County Road 800 South — essentially one road that winds its way between State Road 243 and U.S. 231 in Warren Township — were present to express their discontent with the state of their road.
The residents have gathered signatures and called multiple times to have repairs done on the road, but are now asking for a resurfacing of the road, and not through chip and seal.
Interim County Highway Superintendent Clint Maddox did not dispute their claims.
“I can’t deny anything she said — the road is terrible,” Maddox said. He added that the road has been patched more than once but, “everything we’ve done has been very temporary.”
The problem, one shared with other problem spots in the county, is lack of money and time to get all of the county’s roads fixed to the satisfaction of residents and motorists.
On the county’s seven-year road plan, the road is set for resurfacing through the grind and double chip and seal process — in 2023.
While one resident posited that this was not soon enough, Maddox note that there is a process.
“Every road that we chip and seal, double chip and seal or hot mix, we will go in and ditch. We’ll put in pipes under the road as needed,” Maddox said, noting that the work must then settle. “That way we have a level playing field, so to speak.”
And while some residents may have issues with any sort of chip and seal, Maddox, who will return to his job as road foreman, spoke highly of the grind and double chip and seal process.
“We’ve been doing that for upward of 10 years and getting very good results,” Maddox said. “We’ve used it on roads such as yours that are in very bad condition.”
He also said the department will work to install better patches on the road this year to get it through until 2023.
Maddox also encouraged the residents to continue communicating with the Highway Department about the state of the roads.
“We definitely rely on the residents to tell us when those roads are bad,” Maddox said.
The Commissioners also heard for a second time from Richard Gardner, who would like to see his gravel road, 1150 and 1175 South in Cloverdale Township, chipped and sealed.
Gardner has offered to pay out of pocket for the work and even shared a proposal with the county that he had solicited.
While Gardner’s proposal to pay out of pocket may seem obvious, Maddox expressed concerns about what quality of road the county would be left to maintain after the work.
“Currently it’s a gravel,” Maddox said. “Chip and seal is only as good as what you put it on.”
He said if the county were performing the work, it would include strengthening the road base, widening it and performing ditch work, all of which would have to settle before chip-and-seal work.
“I’m just concerned about putting two layers of chip and seal,” Maddox said. “If we don’t do that, I don’t think the finished product is going to be that desirable, honestly.”
Gardner asked if the road could be compacted after the initial work.
“You can try to rush the process, but you’re still rushing the process,” Maddox said.
Maddox told the Commissioners he will inspect the road and decide the extent of needed work. The county will also have to decide what to do with the 0.4-mile stretch of the road not addressed in Gardner’s proposal.
The matter will be revisited at a future meeting.
During his report, Maddox noted that recent uneven weather is seriously affecting the department’s progress on multiple projects, as well as the progress the contractor is making on tearing down and installing a new bridge over the CSX Railroad on Saddleclub Road.
Finally, Maddox expressed his appreciation for the support he has received in his nearly four months in the interim position.
“I just want to say thank you for having the faith to let me do this and keep the wheels on this place for the last few months,” Maddox said. “It’s been a good experience, mostly.”
Noting that Maddox will have to be working closely with Peck when he takes over, the Commissioners approved keeping Maddox at the superintendent pay rate through June 1, at which point the transition should more or less be complete.
Additional items discussed during the meeting will be addressed in future stories.