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County debates fixing roads now or later

MANAGING EDITOR

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Roosevelt County commissioners are “stuck between a rock and a hard place” when it comes to fixing county roads in strong need of repair, according to officials.

“I know we have a couple of roads that need to be fixed, but we also need to be thinking about what winter could bring,” Road Superintendent Ricky Lovato told commissioners on Tuesday, adding that weather officials expect a harsh winter, which will tear up roads, causing his department to need their reserves at that time.

Commissioners debated with county officials and county business owner Terry Truelock for more than an hour at this week’s commission meeting regarding what can be done to fix Franklin Road located in the panhandle of the county.

Truelock told commissioners Tuesday morning that he has been losing business due to problems with the road getting washed out and part of it turning to clay.

Truelock owns Valley Inc. on the road, which sells construction materials.

“The critical part is I have people wanting me to price parts, but I can’t commit, because I don’t know if I can get down there (the road),” Truelock said.

“That’s your problem, but you also see our problem; there is no money,” Commissioner Gene Creighton told Truelock at the meeting.

Lovato and County Manager Amber Hamilton said the county has exhausted the possibilities of quick fixes on the road, so it has come down to the road needing to be repaved.

“We don’t have the man power to get out there right now and fix that road the way it needs to be fixed,” Lovato said, adding that that the project would cost almost $50,000, which the county does not have.

Lovato said along with his department being understaffed, road crews are also working on current Local Road Government Fund (LGRF) projects, which are required to be complete by December. He also said money for such road projects like Franklin Road come out of the county’s pocket rather than coming from the state like LGRF projects.

Truelock said he would be willing to donate the caliche material to fix the road if he is able to write it off on his taxes next year.

With state land surrounding the road, Truelock informed commissioners that they could close the road down, but then landowners who wish to use it will have to pay the state $25,000. He did not specify if that was a one time or annual payment.

Commissioner Shane Lee asked rural addressing Manager Johnny Montiel if they could get the state’s help with fixing the road since it is surrounded by state land.

Montiel said he did not know, but he could look into it. He also added that the county could not affect any parties with any kind of land changes if they were to re-dig or re-fill certain parts of the road to make it less hill-like.

In the mean time, commissioners suggested that Truelock find out if he could claim the donation of road materials to the county on his taxes to see if he could provide them.

Of the four roads under discussion Tuesday, county commissioners determined the following as their order of priorities from most in need to least in need:

• Franklin Road — A two mile stretch of road north of town that would take $30,825 to fix

• Roosevelt Road N 1/2 — A half mile stretch of road east of town that would cost $9,500 to fix

• South Roosevelt Road L — A two-mile stretch of road south of town that would cost $ to fix

• Railroad Mountain: $15,000 to be fixed

County road crews will be fixing pot holes on Roosevelt Road N 1/2 on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, then solutions for Franklin Road will be looked at a later date.