Claims for damages incurred on Salina Road can be filed

Jefferson County continues to monitor and smooth out Salina Road?s recent seal coating and the board of supervisors are placing discussion about claims for chipped and cracked windshields on next Monday?s agenda.

After the seal coating, drivers have experienced flying rocks hitting their cars and windows, causing enough damage for windshields to need replacing.

Supervisor chairman Steve Burgmeier said he isn?t sure how many people it involves. Supervisors have received calls about the road in the past month, but aren?t sure if some callers overlap and called each supervisor.

?Those wanting to register a report of damage should contact three places, LL Pelling [contractor who did the work on Salina Road], the county insurance and the county engineer,? said Burgmeier.

Supervisor Dick Reed said LL Pelling?s insurance doesn?t want to pay any claims, nor does the county?s insurance.

?But the insurance has a clause about moral obligation, which says it will pay 75 percent of a claim up to X amount of dollars,? said Reed. ?We?ll file claims with the contractor and with our insurance, and then we?ll have to pick a time for this. We need to make these damages whole.?

The supervisors and engineer encourage everyone with a claim to contact the county engineer?s office, so he can record it.

?Without a report from the county engineer, we won?t be able to settle a claim,? said Burgmeier.

Supervisor Lee Dimmitt added if anyone already has fixed or replaced a windshield should also contact the engineer and supervisors, so they could know the cost.

?The contractor and our insurance company have not paid any claims,? said Reed. ?But we?ll compensate for damages and then file with our insurance which will have to reimburse 75 percent up to a certain amount.?

Burgmeier said the issue is more than just paying the bill, if drivers file with their own car insurance.

?Some of these people have been claim-free, and filing an insurance claim they?ll have to wait a period to get that rating back,? said Burgmeier. ?We should put this on Monday?s agenda.?

Dimmitt said he is not finding fault with anyone, ?but we need to take care of this.

?I think we need to take care of people with damaged windshields.?

?I drove on Salina Road last night,? said Dimmitt. ?In a couple of spots I could hear rocks pinging under the car, but none flew up, even when I passed other traffic. I was going 50 mph, too, so I wasn?t poking along. The eastern half is in better shape than the western half.?

Jefferson County Engineer Scott Cline said the contractor had broomed the road again Thursday.

?It looked really good after brooming,? said Cline. ?Then later, I was out there and a few large farm equipment pieces were driving up and down, some were hanging over the sides of the shoulders and pushing the loose rocks back into the roadway.?

Reed asked if the contactor returns to broom the road at no cost. Cline said yes.

?Get him back to broom it again,? said Reed. ?We need to get this road packed down. The other option is to add another layer of something else, but the contractor won?t pay for that. I think we need to be proactive to get the loose stuff off of there.

?Farming is a good part of our county?s economy and livelihood, there will be equipment driving on roads.?