Wednesday, October 17, 2001
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Wednesday, October 17, 2001 |
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Quarters Road solution continues to elude county By DAVE
HAMRICK
Quarters Road just won't go away. More to the point, new residents to live along the rustic dirt road just keep coming. County commissioners say they will give a company one more chance to put a stop to choking dust through a new coating technique before considering paving the road. "I am for anything at this point that makes the dust go away," said resident Dan Hudson. He, like many residents who oppose paving the road, moved there because he liked the tree-lined pastoral beauty of the road, but now he just chokes on the dust, Hudson said. He asked the County Commission last week to pave a quarter-mile of the road, where he and seven of eight residents could agree it needs to be done. Residents farther down the road are opposed, so he proposed the compromise solution, he said. Several other residents spoke to the commission to back up Hudson's request, including David Tucker. He moved there, he said, "because of the majestic beauty of that area of the county." But now 54 homes are connected to the half-mile road. "The amount of traffic ... simply can't be supported by a gravel road," he said. The road was plenty dusty before it was graveled, said Hudson, but the gravel dust is even worse, he said, and more harmful to one's health. "It [dust] hangs over the entire are for 24 hours a day ... unless it rains," he said. Commissioners pointed out that there are more Quarters Road residents who oppose paving it than who favor it. The issue has come up several times. "There are people down that road who will tie themselves to those trees," said commission Chairman Greg Dunn. But it was clear the board is leaning toward paving, not just the section Hudson asked for, but the entire road. "I don't think people can expect it to stay unpaved forever," said Commissioner Herb Frady. Commissioners paid a firm $18,000 to apply a coating that was supposed to stop the dust, but it failed. The company has offered to reapply the coating for free, so commissioners said they're inclined to give the firm another shot. But after that, some said they're likely to consider paving. Some residents also called for paving the road for safety reasons, but commissioners said they didn't see how paving would improve safety. The road would be wider for easier passing, but cars would also be going faster on a paved road, they said. "That will become a high-speed thoroughfare," said Dunn. If the special coating still doesn't work and commissioners decide to pave the road, it will be some time before it can be worked into the budget, commissioners said. "There's no short-term solution here," said Dunn.
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