County Commissioners Decide To Vacate Portion Of Contested Road
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
At an Area Plan Commission meeting in April, the board voted 5-2 against vacating a 32-foot tract of land that stretches from Northshore Drive to Syracuse Lake.
With Area Plan Director Dan Richard tied up in a Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, County Surveyor and plan commission member Dick Kemper spoke on behalf of the plan commission.
The petitioner, Time Frame Properties, was represented by attorney Steve Snyder.
Snyder continued to argue, as he did at the commissioners meeting two weeks ago, that just because the public way leads to the water, that gives the public no right to do things like build a pier, jump in the water or go fishing.
When several neighbors said they didn't want it vacated simply so they could enjoy walking on it, Snyder said that would create "the California Gold Rush by saying you won't vacate this."
Snyder noted that his client attempted to purchase land from one neighbor, Jason Mickle, after Mickle claimed he bought a property across from the public way because he was told he'd have lake access.
After several neighbors and attorney Jack Birch spoke against the vacation, commissioner and president Brad Jackson took Snyder, Birch, the petitioner and neighbors to a back room located in the old courtroom at the Kosciusko County Courthouse.
After 20 minutes, Jackson and commissioner Bob Conley voted to vacate a portion of the road.
Commisioner Ron Truex was absent from the meeting.
The tract of land stretches 25 feet wide.
The motion that was approved was to vacate 10 feet of that from the lake’s edge to Northshore Drive.
The commissioners also heard about the county’s bridges.
"We've got several bridges in dire need of repair," said County Highway superintendent Scott Tilden.
Tilden said the county is responsible for every bridge and small structure in the county that isn't part of the state's highway system.
Kosciusko County has 107 bridges that span more than 20 feet. There are 400 more that are smaller than that.
Tilden said some of those bridges have less than 20 percent sufficiency rating on a 100 percent scale.
Tilden said his crews are readying a road repair program that will target 115 miles of road in the county.
County Administrator Ron Robinson told the commissioners that engineering cost from R.W. Armstrong for the county's western route project were cut by $17,195.
Robinson also informed the commissioners that both Jackson and Conley will have to sit on a new appeal board pertaining to the Lakeland Regional Sewer District.
Truex can't serve on the appeal board because he already serves on the LRSD board.
John H. Anglin Jr. was named the Veteran of the Month by the commissioners. He served in the Army National Guard from 1966 to 1972.[[In-content Ad]]
At an Area Plan Commission meeting in April, the board voted 5-2 against vacating a 32-foot tract of land that stretches from Northshore Drive to Syracuse Lake.
With Area Plan Director Dan Richard tied up in a Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, County Surveyor and plan commission member Dick Kemper spoke on behalf of the plan commission.
The petitioner, Time Frame Properties, was represented by attorney Steve Snyder.
Snyder continued to argue, as he did at the commissioners meeting two weeks ago, that just because the public way leads to the water, that gives the public no right to do things like build a pier, jump in the water or go fishing.
When several neighbors said they didn't want it vacated simply so they could enjoy walking on it, Snyder said that would create "the California Gold Rush by saying you won't vacate this."
Snyder noted that his client attempted to purchase land from one neighbor, Jason Mickle, after Mickle claimed he bought a property across from the public way because he was told he'd have lake access.
After several neighbors and attorney Jack Birch spoke against the vacation, commissioner and president Brad Jackson took Snyder, Birch, the petitioner and neighbors to a back room located in the old courtroom at the Kosciusko County Courthouse.
After 20 minutes, Jackson and commissioner Bob Conley voted to vacate a portion of the road.
Commisioner Ron Truex was absent from the meeting.
The tract of land stretches 25 feet wide.
The motion that was approved was to vacate 10 feet of that from the lake’s edge to Northshore Drive.
The commissioners also heard about the county’s bridges.
"We've got several bridges in dire need of repair," said County Highway superintendent Scott Tilden.
Tilden said the county is responsible for every bridge and small structure in the county that isn't part of the state's highway system.
Kosciusko County has 107 bridges that span more than 20 feet. There are 400 more that are smaller than that.
Tilden said some of those bridges have less than 20 percent sufficiency rating on a 100 percent scale.
Tilden said his crews are readying a road repair program that will target 115 miles of road in the county.
County Administrator Ron Robinson told the commissioners that engineering cost from R.W. Armstrong for the county's western route project were cut by $17,195.
Robinson also informed the commissioners that both Jackson and Conley will have to sit on a new appeal board pertaining to the Lakeland Regional Sewer District.
Truex can't serve on the appeal board because he already serves on the LRSD board.
John H. Anglin Jr. was named the Veteran of the Month by the commissioners. He served in the Army National Guard from 1966 to 1972.[[In-content Ad]]
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