I wish Elk County would----------

[Wilma]

I wish that the Elk county road department would spray the Johnson grass in the Howard road department yard before it goes to seed.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

They have the chemicals to kill it, why don't they???  I can't believe they don't

[Wilma]

Just come by and look at it.

[Tobina+1]

Question... why would the COUNTY road department spray weeds in the CITY road department's lot?  Wouldn't that be the City's responsibility?

I'm not usually one to complain on this sort of thing (I know funds are tight and people are working to the best of their ability), but REALLY... I wish Elk County would do something about the county roads.  Again, not personally attacking the road crew, as they normally do a great job, but something has gone terribly wrong in the last couple months.  I know the rain that just keeps coming and coming and coming doesn't help, but surely there's some way to grade the roads so that the water runs OFF the road instead of down the MIDDLE of the road?  I'm no expert, and I would never want to tell them how to do their job, but maybe someone can shed some light on what the issues are?  I'm saving on gas just so I don't have to drive on the roads to get to town!!!   

[Wilma]

It is the county road department.  It is the unit of the county road department that is located in Howard and right across the street from me.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I have a problem with the water standing between Hubbles and Bellar's.  Its has been deep enough last week that there was a fish that got caught in it.  It ended up dying.  I think that the ditches must not be draining right.  I know that they work hard, it has been alot of the weather that has caused the problems and the cost of fuel doesn't help.

[Sarah]

Well, coming from the woman that is married to the locator that gets the calls for all the locates for the county, it doesn't help when the county calls in a locate for ditch cleaning and then calls in an update because they didn't get to it and then another and then another and then another.  There's some ditches that were marked for ditch cleaning 2 years ago that still aren't done!   

[DanCookson]

The ditches are the problem with the water running down the roads.  It has been a real tough year for the road guys though.  Just when they get a little ahead with just keeping the roads drivable it comes a gulley washer rain and boom, back to the starting line. 

[Tobina+1]

Again, I'm not personally attacking the road crew.  I know things have been tight and they have many, many miles of road to maintain across the county.

The issues I saw last night on my walk were that most of the ditches ARE deep enough.  But for some reason, the roads have been graded so that the water cannot run into the ditch.  The road is cut out deeper than the side of the ditch, therefore not allowing the water to flow into the ditch.  Rather, keeps it along the side of the road and it has no where to go except IN the road.
I'm not qualified to tell the county how to do their job, by any means.  But I wonder who is, and if they're realizing that a little extra time and effort to grade the road correctly will save a LOT more time and effort in the long run (and after every little rain shower).  Our roads are good enough that they might not need graded every time it rains, as long as the water can properly drain.  Same goes for all the good gravel they're putting on (good gravel, right placement, but is it necessary?); they wouldn't need to haul so much gravel into the potholes if the water could drain OFF the road instead of sitting on it and creating potholes.

[Jo McDonald]

All of these concerns are valid --- but when I read the Commissioners meeting reports in the FlintHills express --- and they have an open forum meeting for citizens to attend and express their concers  NO ONE SHOWS UP ---
Go to the meeting, people, and state your case.  Call the courthouse -- find out the time of the open forum meetings and attend !!!