Commissioners ponder road paving list

Jackson County Commissioners are looking to pave some dirt roads in 2009 and beyond.
On Tuesday they held a workshop about their road paving plans, that session commencing just after the board wrapped up its regular first-of-the-month board meeting.
For several years, the county has been using a one-penny local option sales tax to resurface and otherwise maintain existing paved roads. But on Tuesday they said they were now prepared to possibly devote two-thirds of that money to new paving. The county receives about $3 million a year through the tax.
With no opposition voiced by fellow commissioners, board chairman Chuck Lockey suggested that the county earmark about $2 million a year to pave roads.
After some discussion, they agreed on a way to select the first roads to be considered for paving.
Each commissioner is to select one candidate road in his district. County Engineer Larry Alvarez will then assess the feasibility and prudence of paving each, based on factors such as condition, usage rate and importance to the community. The roads will then be ranked to determine the order in which each would be paved, based on his assessments. Connector roads, for instance, might be ranked higher than less critical roadways.
In some cases, commissioners may select portions of roads, rather than trying to pave them end-to-end, board members indicated Tuesday.
Road decisions were still on the mind of District 5 Commissioner Milton Pittman, who was   defeated in his bid for re-election and is finishing out the last few days of his term.
He was worried about the fate of Sylvania Plantation Road. In earlier action, before his loss at the polls, the board had agreed to focus on four miles of the dirt road as the next possible paving project to be funded from the tax.
Some preparatory work has already been completed: Surveys have been done, right-of-way easements have been obtained from adjacent property owners and the bid process has been authorized.
But with Pittman on his way out, he wanted to know if the remaining board members were still committed.
Some indicated they thought Sylvania Plantation should be at the top of the paving list even though Pittman is leaving, but no vote was taken on the matter.
Chuck Lockey said he, too, has already selected the road he’d like to see paved in District 3 – Bump Nose Road.
That’s the same road he chose in an earlier incarnation of the county’s potential road paving list. The list has morphed more than once through the years, and may now change again.
Commissioner Jeremy Branch, who just used a chunk of his discretionary money to pave the most heavily-populated section of Old Spanish Trail, said he was going to have to review the potential roads in District 4 before offering one up for the list.
District 2 Commissioner Ed Crutchfield did not indicate which road he might nominate, and District 1 Commissioner Willie Spires had left before the discussion ensued.