The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met Thursday.
The Board met with Randy Sparks, who owns several businesses at his property on 255th Lane, south of Panora.
Recently, Sparks contracted to have trucks haul concrete to his property for the construction of a cattle building. During the transport, major damage was done to the gravel roads near his residence due to the condition of the road and weight of the trucks.
Sparks says County workers repaired the road just enough to make his residence accessible to emergency vehicles, but adds that might not be good enough with how heavy modern equipment is. “If I’m emergency services ready, meaning if my house is on fire and I need to have the fire department come and save my house, I wonder what that entails. I called the fire department and asked what they would bring out during a fire and how much it weighs. They said a full truck weighs 55,000-60,000 pounds. That is some serious weight. For comparison, my five yard truck of concrete is going to weigh 52,000 pounds, so it is in the same ballpark of weight.”
Sparks adds that road conditions of the gravel roads in the County could be hurting his business and others by not being up to standards of modern technology. “Every farmer in this county has semis now. (County Engineer) Josh (Sebern) made a comment that the road wasn’t built to withstand this kind of use. It may or may not have been, but when were our roads built? Probably in the 1930’s, 40’s or 50’s. If they built the roads then and we’re saying now they can’t handle these kinds of weights, and I’m being questioned as to whether I should have these vehicles out to build and expand my business, then are any gravel roads in Guthrie County (built to handle the weight of modern equipment)?”
County Engineer Josh Sebern says a lot of work will need to be done to the road by Sparks’ residence to get it back to its original condition. “The road is going to have to be reshaped. We’re going to have to build it up. It’s pretty flat on the north-south stretch. To get drainage we’re going to have to reshape some ditches.”
Board Chairman Mike Dickson says he’s not sure Sparks’ road should get any special treatment, just because he complained to the Board. “Why is his road more important than anyone else’s? His road is on a list and if we move it, it will bump everyone else down the list just because he is in here. I’m not sure if it should even be done this year. How many other roads need ditches dug and have the exact same issues?”
While displeased with the small amount of maintenance his road receives, Sparks says he wants to continue building his cattle structure but needs to make sure the Board isn’t going to start holding property owners liable for regular wear and tear to roads. “One of the things I’ve said to Josh Sebern and Supervisor Everett Grasty is my road sees very little maintenance. The best maintenance I get is in the winter when they’re blowing off snow. I want to let the road heal, but I need to get back to work. If I get back to work and the road gets damaged again, are you going to bill me for it, whether it is my equipment or a contracted concrete truck?”
Supervisor Tom Rutledge says he appreciates Sparks working with the Board and doesn’t think he will be billed for damages. “I think you’re at a point where you’re putting in concrete, but you’re not destroying the road just to get us out there to fix it.”
Supervisors Clifford Carney and Jerry Caraher echoed Rutledge in not wanting to bill Sparks.