Road advisory board: Proposal ready for public

The Cape Girardeau County Road and Bridge Advisory Board has completed the first phase of its work and wants to bring the results to residents across the county.

The board set the dates and times for four public meetings later this month to explain how their work is progressing. The board has examined county road paving policies, compared whether announced road construction plans conform to those policies and approved a program to correct any deficiencies.

The result includes a proposal for paving projects this year as well as a list that shows which roads should be on the county road plan and which need more paperwork to qualify.

The key stumbling block for many roads is an unwillingness of landowners to provide additional easement for road construction. "I think we need to go out to these meetings and see if there are people who will still say no, I won't give an easement," board member Weldon Macke said.

The four meetings will be at 8 a.m. April 14 at the Delta Community Center on Highway 25; at 7 p.m. April 17 in the Daisy Coonhunter's Lodge off Route B; at 7 p.m. April 25 at the Fruitland Sale Barn on Highway 61; and at 7 p.m. April 26 at the Burfordville Baptist Church.

The date for meeting in Burfordville is tentative and subject to change, Macke said.

The dates and times are spread through the week, including the Saturday morning session in Delta, to provide maximum opportunities for comment, board chairman Larry Payne said.

The board consists of 11 voting members, one from each of the county's 10 townships, and one at-large member. Formed after passage of the half-cent sales tax that will pay for accelerated road paving, the board has been meeting regularly, sometimes up to four times a month, to work on the county road plan.

"We want to show what we have developed and what kind of feedback we get from people in the county," Payne said. "We want to know what do they suggest."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126