Jensen Road homeowners seek solution to dust problems
By AMY MAY
The Daily Inter Lake
Summer is here. And for the rural residents of Flathead County that can only mean one thing - dust.
While dust is likely an annoyance for anyone who lives on a gravel road, the residents of Jensen Road believe their dust problems are on a completely different level.
"This is my fourth summer here and I've never seen the dust this bad," said Jensen Road resident Barbara Christensen.
Jensen Road homeowners have recently flooded the Flathead County commissioners and road department with complaints about the condition of their road.
"When I turn left onto Jensen, sometimes I can't see through the cloud of dust and I just have to hope for the best," said Barbara Templeman, a resident on Jensen Road.
Christensen said she has to dust off her dog before she lets him in the house.
Apparently the influx of dust comes from the bonding agent used when the county re-graveled the road a earlier this summer. The bonding agent contained more clay than usual, and has thus created a thicker and finer dust on the road.
County Commissioner Gary Hall said that Jensen Road is not alone in its complaints. He has heard from several other neighborhoods concerned about the dust.
"When I saw them out there with the grader I was excited," said Christensen. "I thought they were going to be paving the road."
Christensen said that there have been rumors that Jensen Road was next on the list to get paved. But according to Hall, the county simply doesn't have the budget to pave gravel roads in the county.
"In the old days, the commissioners used to have a priority list based on traffic counts, which varied each year," Hall said. "Now we are just trying to keep up on maintenance."
So for now, finding a solution to the dust has been left up to the Jensen Road neighborhood.
Oiling the road is one solution, but it can get pricey. It costs hundreds of dollars to oil the road in front of a house.
A more likely solution to the problem is a long-term one. Rural Special Improvement Districts (RSIDs) are a way for the neighborhood itself to pay for paving the road.
Gary Hall described an RSID as a joint effort between all the residents of an area to pitch-in and pay for paving through their taxes. Much like a miniature bond, the area residents will have an additional tax for 10 to 15 years. The cost varies from road to road.
"We have been very happy with RSIDs," Hall said.
Ben Woody, a Jensen Road resident, has spearheaded the effort to get Jensen Road an RSID. But he said the process is slow going.
Currently 45 percent of the neighborhood thinks an RSID would be a good idea. To apply for the special district, 60 percent of the residents must be for the project.
"A lot of people think that it's a county road so the county should pay," Woody said.
According to Woody, the cost to each Jensen Road resident would be around $66 every year for 15 years.
Reporter Amy May can be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at amay@dailyinterlake.com