By Michael Howell
The Ravalli County Commissioners last week approved spending $31,000 to repair the bridge that spans North Burnt Fork Creek along Meyer Lane east of Stevensville. The road was slated for abandonment.
In October, after hearing that the bridge had been determined to be unsafe by an engineering firm out of Missoula, Jay Meyer petitioned to have the road abandoned. Meyer Lane is a short connecting road between Middle Burnt Fork Road and North Burnt Fork Road. It passes through Meyer’s property and separates it from the closest outbuildings.
At the time the commissioners agreed to abandon the road rather than spend money on the bridge repairs. But other landowners along the road and in the area raised some concerns and the commissioners’ decision was conditioned on the landowners along the road coming to some agreement amongst themselves about the easements that would be necessary for each to protect their own access along what would become a private road.
Apparently no agreement was reached. Meyer was not in attendance at last week’s meeting. One of the neighbors with concerns about how the privatization of the road would affect his access, Argus Barker, told the commissioners that Meyer had called him the previous evening to express his displeasure with Barker’s opinion on the matter. Barker said that just that morning on his way to the meeting he found the road had a gate across it on Meyer’s property.
Barker said that the landowners involved were not asking the commissioners to fix the bridge, but they don’t want the road closed.
“What you’ve got is one man versus 75 to 100 people that use that road every day,” said Barker.
Commissioner J.R. Iman said that he would be for putting a sign up on the bridge warning people about the condition but he was not in favor of closing the road.
Commissioner Greg Chilcott said that he was troubled by the fact that they had an engineering report that deemed the bridge unsafe. He didn’t think signing it was a good solution.
“I’m not ready to accept that liability,” he said.
The commissioners approved funding the needed repairs on a 4 to 1 vote with Iman casting the dissenting vote.
In other business, the commissioners also agreed to place Christianson Road, a gravel road several miles up the Burnt Fork, onto the county maintenance list once the gravel pit that the county used along the road is officially closed by DEQ.
Property owners along the road asked to have it placed on the maintenance list based on a commitment made by the county in 1981 when the road was developed. The county no longer uses the gravel pit but it has not been certified closed and restored by DEQ. When that happens, the commissioners will place the road on the regular maintenance list.
The commissioners voted 3 to 1 to place it on the maintenance list, with Commissioner Chilcott abstaining.