© 2024 WXPR
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Past Practice of Plowing, Patching Private Road Questioned

commons.wikimedia.com

For nearly two decades, Minocqua road crews have been plowing snow and patching potholes on a quarter mile of private easement road off Bolger Lake Road. That’s against stated town board policy. But residents who benefit from that oversight want it to continue.

It was suppose to have stopped in 1998 by town board action. But according to residents, an unofficial “gentlemen’s agreement” allowed those services to continue at taxpayers’ expense.

Last week Public Works Director Mark Pertile asked the town board to stop any further work. Affected residents showed up to protest any change. But Supervisor Bryan Jennings raised the issue of fairness:

“I don’t know why we would say we’re going to take care of this easement road, when we have probably 20 miles of other easement roads, maybe more. You know they are all over.....”

The town board tabled action until it gets a legal opinion on whether the town is obliged to continue the maintenance and what liability issues may arise if town crews damage private property such as mailboxes.

The public works director will get cost estimates for a preliminary road survey, possibly bringing easement road up to minimum standards as a town road. Doing so could cost as much as $75,000.

Up North Updates
* indicates required
Related Content