Several Pierce County citizens complained about conditions of county roads during the public comment section of the October 15 regular county commission meeting.
Most of the comments were related to road conditions and especially drainage issues, which might be averted by the county’s newly updated culvert ordinance. (See related article.)
Those gathered last Tuesday evening wanted to know what would be done about ditches with existing issues and culverts or lack thereof.
Cleo Weston and Larry Murdock, both of Murdock Drive, spoke on the condition of their road. Weston provided the commission with pictures of the road from August and September. The road is located off Ware Street Extension. Murdock said of the road that shares his last name, “I grade the road with my tractor when I can.”
Murdock also told of a recent call he received from a home care nurse who had bogged down and needed help pulling her vehicle out.
Murdock concluded, “The ditches need to be emptied so the water has somewhere to go.”
Travis Sweat of Eugene Howell Road in the Youmans Chapel community informed the commission the last time the ditch was pulled on his road was in 2022. “Since then, I haven’t seen a grader at all,” said Sweat, who went on to explain he cannot afford to keep paying his neighbor to do it.
Sweat also said there are only ditches along one side of Eugene Howell Rd. and asked if it might be possible to get a ditch on the other side as well.
Finally, Sweat mentioned he had been told the road was private and did not belong to the county, making him feel as if he has gotten the run around.
County Manager Raphel Maddox assured Sweat they will sit down together and review the relevant records to determine if Eugene Howell Road is under county jurisdiction or not.
Randy Tyre returned once more to the commission to complain about maintenance of the county’s dirt roads around Shellie Trail near Offerman. Tyre has come to the commission with this issue multiple times since July.
“I hear ya’ll got a new dump truck, but I ain’t seen it yet,” said Tyre.
This prompted some terse comments from Commissioner Randy Dixon about recent events like Hurricane Helene causing understandable delays.
“There’s been a lot of stuff down for the last two weeks, but we haven’t forgotten Shellie Trail,” Dixon concluded, “I assure you.”
Tyre did not seem convinced and the public comment period briefly descended into cross-talk and confusion.
One gentleman spoke up from the crowd. While not listed among the speakers on the agenda, Tim Janson of Meadow Circle off County Farm Road called out a question, inquiring if he could block off his road. One commissioner called out, “If you got the deed to it, you can block it off.”
“I’m not trying to be a butt,” Janson said, going on to explain that drivers were using his private drive to bypass a very rough section of the county road and he was getting tired of it.
Meanwhile, having left the podium, Tyre had approached the commissioners’ table and a conversation ensued that was not easily overheard. Bypassing commissioner Dixon who had bristled at his earlier words, Tyre appeared to be showing Chairman Bennett photographs of what can only be assumed was Shellie Trail.
Whatever was said, Tyre did not seem too satisfied. Upon marching back to his seat, he turned to The Times’ reporter in the audience and growled, “You can put this in the paper— this ain’t worth a sh*t!”
The commission moved on to other public comments that were not road related.
