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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Jurisdiction for infrastructure repairs was on the table Wednesday for the Belmont County Board of Commissioners.
Guests at the weekly meeting included Joyce Hartley of Cash Ridge Road, who asked if something could be done about water coming onto her property, apparently from a nearby drainage ditch.
“Can we get together and get this resolved one way or another, finally?” she asked.
Dutton said she has spoken to the commissioners on prior occasions about the situation, and the conversation was hostile and ended abruptly when Hartley left the meeting. He said the commissioners have no authority over the situation and advised her to talk to Belmont County Engineer Terry Lively.
Hartley questioned the honesty of the commissioners and said they were “passing this back and forth” with the engineer.
“It’s the Ohio Revised Code, ma’am,” Dutton said. “He’s an elected official.”
“I’m here about the ditch that you won’t acknowledge is yours and that’s damaging my home,” she said.
“At this point, there’s no information brought to us that we have a role in this, by Ohio Revised Code,” Dutton said.
Afterward, Mead Township Trustee Ed Good gave more details, saying that Cash Ridge Road was subject to full-depth recovery, paid for by Gulfport Energy, as part of a road use maintenance agreement that included upgrading ditches and improving the road. He said the township assisted Hartley with a public record request.
“We have done everything we can. We’ve gone by and looked at the ditch when it has rained severely, and the water’s staying in the ditch. I think it’s a property issue,” Good said.
He said he also provided her contact information for the Ohio Ethics Commission, the Ohio Attorney General and the Ohio Auditor.
“We have afforded her every line of communication to investigate us or see if what we’re doing is proper.”
Good said Hartley has spoken at Mead Township trustee meetings. Audience participation has since been limited to five minutes.
“It’s Mead Township’s duty and responsibility to maintain the roads. It’s our road without question. There’s a lot of debate on who the ditches belong to, the watercourse. We maintain a lot of ditches, but per the revised code, that falls under the county engineer,” Good said.
Belmont County Engineer Terry Lively disagreed, saying the ditch is the township trustees' jurisdiction.
"It's not my road and not my issue to deal with. It's the township trustees' if anybody's, and she's convinced that's not the case, that it's my responsibility," Lively said. "If she would consult an attorney, her attorney could explain that to her."
In other matters, the commissioners accepted a proposal for Geotechnical Engineering Services for a new salt barn for a fee of $7,060 from the Belmont County Engineer’s Department. The fee does not include clearing to access boring locations if needed. Dutton said a site for the barn has not yet been decided.
“It’s been awhile now, but the engineer’s been in need of a salt barn. A lot of the salt storage is exterior and not interior,” Dutton said.
Lively said the salt is currently stored outside, with cinders placed on it to seal out rain and snow.
"We desperately need to have a salt barn," he said. "It's not a good situation. It needs to be under cover."
Lively said the barn would be 92 feet by 56 feet.
The county also awarded bids for several road repairs. Repairs to slides on Belmont County Road 120 and 128, or Douglas Road and Boston Road, went to Ohio-West Virginia Excavating for $348,213. The other bidder was Craig Edward Susany Inc. for $365,847. The engineer's estimate was $344,000.
The bid for slide repairs on CR 34 and 56, or Hospital Road and Victory Road, went to Ohio-West Virginia Excavating for $219,232. Craig Edward Susany Inc. bid $252,027.
The bid for paving on Deep Run Road went to NLS for $218,409.25. Shelly & Sands bid $240,548 and Cast & Baker bid $254,699.95.
Also, Dan Morris, International Electrical Workers organizer, introduced himself to the commissioners.