Poor road conditions continue to be a concern

To the editor:

I live in the Southeastern part of the county and I am very upset about the neglect - by our county garage officers - to our gravel roads. In the first place, living in the year 2015, we should not have to deal with such horrible roads.

We pay taxes down here as well as those who live in the city and other parts of the county. Yet we have holes so huge that people are actually slowing down to a near stop as they pass our home. That, in and of itself, would be great - except that the reason is the awful holes in the road. We need (possibly) six or more loads of gravel on our road (which connects to another county), proper ditching, and a grader man who can pull in the gravel and spread it out evenly - leaving the road with a slight slope from the middle down so the rain water can drain off the road into ditches and onto wherever it goes from there. Instead, we have many places where the road sinks toward the middle and some gravel goes off the edges with no possible use.

I have called and asked nicely. I have called upset because of what the neglect has done to my vehicle. Even though I drive very slow and safe, damage can happen.

I was told by the commissioner prior to election that something would be done - "give him a week." Nothing, nothing and again nothing has been done. What must we do to make our county roads safe and passable?

Apparently, choosing to live in a rural area on a road that connects to another county is a bad choice. Where are our rights? Where are our tax dollars being used? I shudder to think just where all the tax dollars go that we pay in every year. We have obligations to the county and state, but where is their obligation to us?

Try to have a nice vehicle and drive it on a road like ours right now. I will say, if this were July, the slowing down would be great. We wouldn't be getting "dusted out," but this is February and I have been waiting since early last fall for a response to getting our road fixed.

Let's not use the weather for an excuse. You can spread gravel any time.

By the way, I have spoken to them about other roads as well. They actually did some work on one of those, so apparently someone else must have called. I don't know.

As a taxpayer and Clay County resident, I have a right to live on a "nice" road. We have blacktop on other roads where very little traffic exists, yet our road is not even properly graveled or ditched. How much do we have to put up with? I don't know the county road workers or officers personally or where they live, but I have serious doubts that they live on a road such as I.

Sherry Deckard

Bowling Green