(Spirit Lake)– A public hearing over whether or not a vacated stretch of a county road should be completely reopened to the traveling public went on for more than an hour at Tuesday’s Dickinson county board of supervisors meeting.
Gary Moeller of Milford wants to build a house along 250th Avenue just west of the landfill, east of Arnolds Park. The road is currently gated to the traveling public from the landfill road south. Moller is requesting the northerly 1,500 feet or so be reopened and improved and the gate moved back beyond that. Allen Slater, a neighbor, requested the gate be taken out entirely and the entire length of road be officially re-opened. But Moeller and a representative of the Department of Natural Resources, which owns land in that area, were opposed to that. They say the dirt road is in extremely poor condition and that somebody not familiar with it could get stuck.
Even though the road is currently gated, people can still travel on it, and some have gotten stuck on it over the years. The gate is simply meant as a deterrant.
After considerable discussion the supervisors voted five-to-nothing to grant Moeller’s request to reopen and improve the first 1,500 feet or so of the road, with the gate to be moved back beyond that point. The gate will not be locked, and the public will still be able to open it and travel the remainder of the road. But it was pointed out they’ll be doing so at their own risk.
