Letter to the editor: Water has been major factor with roads, not ‘control’

In response to Clarice Liechty’s letter to the editor printed April 25:

I have served as clerk for our township for 15 years. In those years our board has done a very good job of taking care of our roads. Our road conditions in our township are because of high water issues. Our board had kept up our roads for years and certainly did not neglect them. The last few years we didn’t have the money to fix all these roads that are currently closed due to our water issues. We have had to prioritize roads and believe me, they have not been easy decisions for the people who sit on our board.

I don’t believe the state having control would make our problems we currently are having with our roads any easier. I also believe that the county is doing everything it can also to fix the roads in our area. The problems along our County Road 67 also are due to water, not neglect. I don’t think that it is fair to blame our current rural road issues on “local control.” The county and townships are doing their very best to try to give people access. However, with the weather circumstances the last few years, our hands are tied. We may not all have the “expertise,” but we all try our best to keep our roads open so that our neighbors, friends and family can get to and from their fields and farmyards. There are a lot of people who use these roads almost every day to get to their jobs in town.

The state roads aren’t necessarily in the best shape either right now. A lot of the issues with them also have to do with water and not neglect. My opinion is that whether they are state, county or township roads, they all need a lot of help at this time. Having our local governments is very important; without them pushing to get some of these road issues fixed, it could take a long time for things to actually get done. For those who have concerns about your township roads, my suggestion is to talk to those who sit on those boards and find out what is going on before making statements that are far from the truth. It’s not a great job and most of the people sitting on those boards don’t get much for compensation at the end of the year. Some donate many hours of their time to help others out without any compensation at all but it has to be done and I think it’s good for our local people to take care of our local concerns.

Jodelle Gefroh

Cleveland, N.D.

(Gefroh is clerk of Stirton Township in Stutsman County)

Tags: opinion, letters, roads