Black Pine Road residents unhappy with road conditions
Residents of Black Pine Road, which is a loop off Green's Market Road in Du Quoin, are not happy with the recent work done by the county's Highway Department.
Ditches were dug to correct a drainage problem. Road crews removed the shoulders of the road, reducing it from one-and-a-half lanes to one lane.
Shayne Mercier said the road was oil and chip until the Unit Road District was formed, at which time it was transitioned to a rock road. She said the road is poorly maintained, causing repeated damage to her family's vehicles. In addition, the bus that picks up her children will no longer travel the road.
Willie Dearmond, another Black Pine resident, said he received notice from the Post Master that mail will not be delivered on the road in bad weather.
Dearmond said the recent drainage work was too slow and left unfinished for too long, causing additional drainage problems which he corrected himself.
"They don't plow, don't mow and it takes two months to get rock," Dearmond said.
He added that crews broke a fence keeping his cattle in a field and didn't repair it for several days.
County Engineer Brian Otten said that the reason the work progressed slowly was to do as little damage to the nearby soybeans as possible. He said he didn't know residents drove on the green shoulders of the road. Had he known, they would not have been removed. Work crews have since replaced them.
Otten agreed that the fence was not repaired as quickly as Dearmond would have liked.
County Board Chairman Bobby Kelly said there are similar complaints all over the county. Perry County cannot afford to oil and chip every road. There's no solution.
Otten said currently there is an eight-year schedule to oil and chip those roads that are currently oil and chip.
Jamie Schrader asked what the criteria was to switch from oil and chip to rock roads.
"It's lack of funds," Otten explained.
He concluded by saying he will try to fix Black Pine Road.
In other business, the board:
• heard from Jason Booth, attorney for Snedeker Risk Management, that per the Affordable Care Act, the county is required to offer open enrollment for employees and their dependents once a year. He gave the board a proposed amendment allowing open enrollment and a template for employees to complete during the enrollment period. The suggested enrollment period would begin in October and coverage for the employees and their dependents would begin Jan. 1.
• heard from Alex Snedeker of Snedeker Risk Management that Perry County has spent $496,597 on health insurance in the first six months of 2014. The county spent $422,022 in the first six months of 2013 and a total of $942,108 last year. Snedeker said he thinks the county will still come in under budget this year. He suggested the county take any funds budgeted for health claims, but not spent at the end of the year and place them in a reserve account to be used as needed.
• passed a resolution approving a Hazard Mitigation project sub-grant. EMA Coordinator David Searby Jr. said the grant will pay for SIU to help Perry County develop a plan.
• passed a resolution approving the solid waste enforcement grant. Solid Waste Coordinator Becky Tracy said she receives the grant each year from the state. The funds help her office operate.
• approved raffle licenses for the Brotherhood of Old Bikers and Perry/Randolph Friends of NRA ILS-32.