Supervisors to hold public hearings for proposed road vacation starting April 8

Jasper County may vacate a small portion of roadway along East 64th Street South starting 0.1 miles south of Sioux Avenue, just east of Reasnor. The board of supervisors on March 25 set the public hearing dates for the road vacation for 9:30 a.m. April 8, 15 and 22 in the supervisors room of the county courthouse.

County Engineer Michael Frietsch said the road is classified as a Level C and has two bridges on it. Frietsch said the vacation would extend past a property, over the first bridge and then stop. Supervisor Brandon Talsma asked if the county has landowners’ consent to move forward. Frietsch said yes.

“Now there is a little triangle piece that’s going to get orphaned on the one property down southwest of here, but he’s not concerned about it at all,” Frietsch said. “It’s like a minuscule amount, but that makes the best sense for us that we would get rid of that bridge and be done with it.”

Talsma added, “OK. As long as we got landowner consent.”

Frietsch said he could also send a letter out to property owners and let them know when the public hearings will be set. Talsma thought there were normally forms that property owners have to sign off on. Frietsch said that applies when designating a road a Level C but not vacating the road.

“The code just basically states we gotta do a public hearing,” Frietsch said.

Talsma said, “I’d feel better if we had their signature on that same paper.”

Frietsch indicated he would do that and ask property owners to acknowledge their receipt and sign off on the road vacation. Supervisor Thad Nearmyer said that might not be a bad idea, referencing recent public hearings regarding the reclassification of Indian Street to a Level B road.

Property owners living near Indian Street opposed the reclassification and felt they were not substantially notified of the hearings.