Road-maintenance cuts might be mitigated

The Flathead County commissioners on Tuesday deferred a decision to stop maintaining some county roads.

Instead, they offered to discuss with residents ways that the roads could be more easily maintained.

As it stands, about 21 county road sections have been identified as not being “maintainable right-of-ways” because of characteristics that make them difficult to plow.

The commissioners did approve a resolution with six criteria for defining what is and isn’t a maintainable road. Obstructions, narrow widths, steepness and no room for plows or equipment to turn around are key considerations for abandoning maintenance of a road.

At a hearing last week, the commissioners heard from people who live on some of the roads being considered for maintenance cessation.

Commissioners Jim Dupont and Joe Brenneman said they got the impression from some who spoke that they would be willing to work with the county on ways to make roads easier to plow.

But Dupont said some roads on the list have difficult problems that probably can’t be mitigated.

“A lot of the roads I looked at need to go,” he said.

Three alleys in Hungry Horse, for example,  meet five of the six criteria for dropping them from maintenance.

But in the case of Kauffman Lane near the Creston Fish Hatchery, the commissioners said there may be ways to make the right-of-way easier to maintain.

The commissioners directed Dave Prunty, the county public works director, to work with residents on possible improvements.

Prunty offered an example: “If somebody provided land for a turnaround area, that would be one improvement where we could safely and successfully turn the plow truck around.”

The commissioners also included language in the resolution that would allow for reduced or “tiered” maintenance on some roads.

County plows, for example, may not go to a certain road after every snowfall, but would go if snowfall exceeded a certain amount such as 6 inches.

The commissioners said they will make a final decision on what roads will be withdrawn from maintenance before fall.

Also Tuesday, the commissioners met with Kalispell Mayor Tammi Fisher and City Manager Jane Howington about the potential for jointly pursuing federal grants for green energy projects.

Howington said grant requirements include certain population levels, creating an incentive for the county and cities to jointly apply.

Another reason for partnerships, she said, is to make energy projects more feasible.

Howington said some ideas being considered include a biomass project and a glass-crushing recycling facility.

The facility would produce finely ground glass that could be used for road surfacing, but putting that byproduct to use probably would require participation from cities, the county and possibly entities such as Glacier National Park.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.