By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
A section of one rural road is expected to be placed in “reserve” status.
A resolution for Memorial Road will be considered at the Canadian County Commissioners’ Nov. 8th weekly meeting.
Canadian County residents Robert Blair and John Waldo support the proposal that would restrict access to where Memorial Road “dead-ends” into the North Canadian River.
The site is on the west side of Canadian County District 1.
All property owners along that stretch of Memorial Road were notified by certified mail of the request. No objections were filed or heard.
“We are the two largest landowners along that piece of road,” Blair said. “We just want to move the gate further east, so we don’t have people coming down, dumping stuff and taking ‘pot shots’ across the fence.
“It’s a dead-end road.”
ACCESS … AND CONTROL
District 1 County Commissioner Marc Hader said he is comfortable that “everybody’s on board” with the Memorial Road request, noting a locking gate would allow the landowners access and control.
“It’s got a ‘lease’ road on top of it,” Hader explained. “The property owners say kids come down and party and make a mess.”
By being placed in reserve status, this section of Memorial Road would not be maintained by Canadian County.
“I don’t want to permanently close the road, but I doubt we’ll ever need to have it open,” Commissioner Hader added. “I’m always hesitant about giving up our statutory rights-of-way.”
If that part of Canadian County eventually becomes a growth area, he said, future county commissioners would still be able to “cut” a road and build a bridge across the river.
The District 1 county commissioner doesn’t anticipate much need for discussion at next Monday’s hearing.
“There’s nobody against it – either citizen or commissioner,” he said.
