Neighbors Ask for Answers About Neglected Lawrence Co. Road
By: April Hansen
Updated: September 12, 2012
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"I pay taxes," says resident Angela Hamilton. "I pay road taxes. Sixteen houses here alone are $1,500 a year that we pay for road maintenance. We don't get road maintenance."
Hamilton has lived at Carmen Heights for seven years and says the neighborhood on County Road 2152 wants to know why their county road isn't being maintained.
"I don't understand that. Like I said, it is a county road. It goes to 16 houses and I just don't understand this summer they did all of the roads around here and skipped ours."
The road was certified a county road in 2005 after residents signed a petition, but Hamilton says the road has had little upkeep.
"I don't understand why our road is being passed up."
Gene
Godwin is a county commissioner for Buck Prairie Road District. He said in an
off-camera
interview that the district is given a budget every year for road
maintenance, wages and repairs.
He says the money isn't there to maintain and resurface every road in the county, so roads that are the most traveled and in the worst shape are worked on first.
But residents of Carmen Heights say the road has gotten worse over the years and has set them back in seeing results.
"Why was a private road chipped and sealed this summer? Obviously my tax dollars are going to that and why is it a priority over this one."
Commissioner Godwin says the residents on that private road paid for the county to resurface it and if maintained, will become a county road, but Carmen Heights residents still want results after years of waiting.
"Maintenance would be an A and a chip and seal would be an A plus," says resident Tom Combs.
Hamilton has sent letters to Lawrence County expressing concerns, but the residents say nothing has been done yet.
They recently sent a letter to Senator Claire McCaskill, Governor Jay Nixon, as well as Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich asking for answers.
