Roads in Hot Springs cause problems
HOT SPRINGS - Nearly a dozen concerned members of the community surrounding Hot Springs met with Sanders County Commissioner Glen Magera on Wednesday to discuss their concerns regarding a few stretches of county road. Magera listened to several accounts from citizens about the hazards posed by conditions on the roads.
The consensus among the citizens in attendance was the condition of the roads is causing damage to tires. Resident George Parsons said he has suffered nine flat tires and spent nearly $1,000 repairing damage. Parsons said that the culprit is the large sized gravel that is currently in place on the roads.
According to Parsons, the amount of flat tires suffered by residents is unusually high. Parsons faulted what he deemed the “incomplete work” done on the road in the past.
“The work never got done. I can deal with the flat tires. I’m used to them. Everyone who lives in rural areas gets them. What concerns me is that the work on these roads was never completed,” said Parsons.
According to Magera, the county is facing a multi-faceted issue when it comes to road maintenance. One problem is the county does not own the equipment required to crush the gravel down to a smaller size.
Magera also said one option is to hire a private company to come and crush the gravel down to an appropriate diameter and lay the smaller material on the roads. Magera said the cost would be over $62,000.
The other problem cited by Magera was the road maintenance budget. He said the county is still working with the 2012-2013 budget indicating that the work would have to wait until the new budget goes into effect. The fiscal year for the county begins on July 1.
Another issue with regards to the upcoming 2013-2014 budget could be a drastic reduction in the amount of money the county will receive toward road maintenance. The money that pays for work to restore roads in Sanders County comes from the Secure Rural Schools fund from the federal government.
The SRS is part of a federal program that provides money to counties in which a national forest is located. The money is required to be allocated toward roads and schools within the county.
Due to the federal budget sequestration, the SRS money was not included in the latest version of the national Farm Bill. If the SRS program is not extended, Sanders County will likely face a $1.3 million dollar shortfall to the road fund.
Magera said some of the funding losses may be recouped under the old 25 percent formula referring to when the county received a percentage of returns generated from national forests. The federal government switched to the current SRS program after forest money dried up in conjunction with the collapse of the timber industry in Sanders County.
“So far we don’t know what is going to happen. They have not guaranteed that money to us. That extension has not happened yet. It will be six to nine months before we know,” said Magera.