Supervisors approve resolution to vacate old platted streets, alleys

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution to vacate streets and alleys within the plat of Aaronville and convey the land to adjoining property owners.

This was the final reading of the resolution Monday. There was no input from anyone during the public hearing prior to the supervisors? vote.

?This was platted about 100 years ago and no improvements were ever made to it,? said Lee Dimmitt, supervisor. ?A property owner out there wants to construct a building over part of a road. Some of these older plats that have never been improved, we?ll vacate from time to time.?

Prior to the public hearing and vote, another resident, Nathan Porter, asked the board to consider vacating a road off 191st Street in Locust Grove Township, near Route 1.

?It?s a minimal use, dirt road,? said Porter, one of the adjoining property owners. ?I?d like it vacated, but not gated. There are no houses on the road, It?s only used for field access.?

County engineer Tom Goff said there needs to be a letter of petition presented to the board containing all the adjoining property owners? signatures.

Supervisor Stephen Burgmeier said the road looks like a short cut.

?I?d like to do more than we have in the past to review the road,? said Burgmeier. ?We need to make sure this is not used. I?ll get more information from residents there.?

Porter said he?d contact his neighbors by letter.

?It?s not highly used. Last summer, grass grew across it,? he said. ?It?s become a place kids go mudding, and sometimes jump off into the fields, causing damage.?

Dimmitt said those were the same arguments supervisors heard previously about another request to vacate streets, and after the fact, the board received complaints.

?If it?s not used, I don?t mind vacating it,? said supervisor chair Dick Reed. ?We ought to drive it.?

Burgmeier pointed out that roads are created to access property. Porter assured him no one uses it for access other than field access for farming.

?How do you plan to keep drivers out if you aren?t gating it?? Burgmeier asked.

Porter intends to farm it. There are no ditches to fill-in, no driveways to cover.

?And I?d like to run a 2-inch water line from our house along the county right-of-way,? said Porter. ?Is there a problem with that??

Goff didn?t think it would be a problem.

?We need to take a road trip,? said Reed.

Dimmitt said he wanted to clarify last week?s discussion about the host ordinance.

?This ordinance is not about increasing or prohibiting alcohol consumption,? he said. ?It doesn?t supercede state law. The host ordinance doesn?t restrict hosts. What it does do is provide a penalty for adults hosting a location that allows minors to consume alcohol. We are making no presumptions or assumptions. I wanted to clear that up.?

Dimmitt had advocated at the previous board meeting a week ago for a social host law to hold adults accountable for underage drinking on their property. The board directed assistant county attorney Pat McAvan last week to draft an ordinance for the board?s consideration.