Portion of 285th Street to be upgraded from Class B to class A road

A land owner in Washington now has permission to upgrade a portion of 285th Street from a Class B to a Class A road.

John Greiner, of Washington, approached the Washington County Board of Supervisors during their June 11 meeting to ask for permission for the upgrade. The reason for the upgrade, he said, was to allow for school buses to reach the house, the county to plow snow in the winter and for mail service. As listed in the county ordinance, Greiner would assume all costs associated with the project.

The conversation was tabled until Washington County Engineer Jacob Thorius was available for comment, as the supervisors had questions about the right of way. At the meeting on Tuesday, June 24, Greiner explained that according to the Washington County GIS (geographic information system) website, the right of way is 62 feet, which he said is normal for other area roads. However, the ordinance states the typical right of way is 50 feet from the centerline.

When the supervisors asked for Thorius' opinion he referred back to the ordinance, stating he remembers the road being 66 feet according to the auditor's office, and said this was the normal right of way for other area roads.

'My opinion is if you do this down to 66 feet, you will have numerous other roads in the county that want to be upgraded to a Class A, and everybody in this room knows the trouble we've had maintaining the roads this year,” he said. 'Ultimately it's your call. You have to know the consequences of whatever decision you make.”

The supervisors then consulted with Washington County Attorney John Gish, who said based on the way the ordinance was written, supervisors had the authority to deviate and grant authority for Greiner to have the road upgraded.

The motion passed by a vote of 3-1 with supervisor Bob Yoder opposing and supervisor Jack Seward Jr. not present.