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HARTINGTON — Cedar County commissioners navigated a rocky road last Tuesday as they again weighed whether to close a Cedar–Dixon County border road.
Three Dixon County supervisors — Steve Hassler, Neil Blohm and Deric Anderson — attended the Aug. 26 meeting in Hartington to discuss a possible closure of a portion of 886 Road. Anderson said his board was leaning toward denying the request and “just leave it as is.”
Cedar County Board Chairman Dave McGregor said leaving the road open could create liability issues for both counties. Road Superintendent Carla Schmidt noted that closing the stretch would relieve both counties of those concerns. Commissioner Dick Donner said he opposed closing the road.
“We’ve never landlocked somebody,” he said. “That’s just not right.”
After lengthy discussion, commissioners agreed it would be best for Cedar County Attorney Ron Temple and Dixon County Attorney Lee Miner to confer before any action is taken.
In other business, commissioners learned that property owners in Olson Landing, along the St. Helena bottom road, want to vacate a dedicated right-of-way along a private road into the subdivision. Zoning Administrator Tim Gobel said the road adjacent to the right-of-way does not connect elsewhere, so landowners want to abandon it.
Before any action, McGregor said, a study must be completed and a hearing held. The board asked Schmidt to study the proposal and prepare a report on any issues with closing the right-of-way. If vacated, the land would revert to adjacent property owners.
Emergency Services Director Kevin Garvin reported that the county’s hazard mitigation plan has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and commissioners passed a resolution adopting it.
“This has been in the works for quite some time,” Garvin said.
He said the plan identifies potential problems in a disaster and outlines how repairs would be handled.
“The federal government believes that every dollar spent in hazard mitigation saves $6 in disaster repairs,” he said.
The mitigation plan is updated every five years. If an entity does not sign o on a mitigation plan, it risks not being eligible for federal diaster funding, Garvin said.
Garvin also received permission to again assist at the Missouri River Outdoor Expo in Dixon County, Sept. 19-21.
“We bring in folks from the state, so it’s always a good learning opportunity,” he said.
Schmidt presented a request from a property owner along a minimummaintenance road for a 911 address. Commissioners agreed to designate the address as 889.5 Road.
The board also approved a permit for Hartelco to bury a fiber-optic line under a road south of Hartington.
Commissioners were told the Cedar County Transit system is considering updating some of its 13 vehicles, as several vans now have more than 200,000 miles.
Gobel presented the following building permits for review: Gerald Stewart, Precinct 7: two 60,000-bushel grain bins.
Patrick Zavadil, Precinct 2: 21,000-bushel grain bin.
Greg Sudbeck: moving in an 8,000-bushel grain bin.
Michael Schmitz, Precinct 7: 36-by-52foot house with no basement.
Paul DeBlauw, Precinct 4: 20-by-20 carport at his Bow Valley home.
