Compromise possible on Cape Girardeau County paving plans

The Cape Girardeau County Commission spent part of Thursday morning discussing a sticky subject -- whether to continue using the asphalt alternative, chip-and-seal paving, on county roads, or wait another year. The commissioners deferred the decision to next week and leaned toward a compromise of using chip and seal for dead-end roads.

Some of the first eight county roads paved with the process in 2008 already need repairs.

Larry Payne, chairman of the county's road and bridge advisory board, said he and the other volunteer board members believe the cause of the deterioration needs to be quickly identified and corrected so the county can continue paving using chip and seal. On Monday, the advisory board voted to recommend a paving plan that included chip and seal. In doing so, they rejected 1st District Commissioner Paul Koeper's plan to wait another year and use only asphalt this year.

Koeper had sharp words for the advisory board and told Payne he felt snubbed by Monday's vote.

"I don't like to be backed into a corner," Koeper said at Thursday's meeting. He said he has found a series of discrepancies in how the inexpensive paving was laid, such as multiple sources for base gravel to an inconsistent oil-to-rock ratio.

Payne told the commissioners the advisory board members have "no desire whatsoever to put down more failures" and that overall his group agreed with Koeper's position.

Koeper said he was open to using chip and seal under certain circumstances, such as on less-traveled roads and applied on a much thicker base -- up to nine inches of gravel -- but he still wanted to wait a year to see how the current chip-and-seal roads stood up. He had promised while campaigning for office last year, to halt chip and seal, at least temporarily.

Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said the county paving policy needed to be revised to include variances for easements. The policy, adopted by the commission in 1999, requires a 60-foot easement.

Scott Bechtold, the county highway administrator, said signed road easements reduced such problems as property owners putting fences in road ditches and alleviated other disputes. He said a new policy should allow for some easement variances on a limited basis, he said, or it would dissolve the policy.

Second District Commissioner Jay Purcell said the disagreement between Koeper and the advisory board was healthy but reminded those present that the advisory board represented as many people as Jones.

Purcell said the overwhelming need expressed by county residents is for dust control. He called for an investigation into the chip-and-seal failures and asked Koeper and the advisory board to find a paving compromise. He suggested night meetings to hear from county residents on any paving policy changes.

County Treasurer Roger Hudson said the savings of chip and seal are only "realized on the front end. ... It's a little bit disingenuous to say it costs half as much when you have to redo it twice as soon."

As he left the room, Payne said the advisory board had considered all aspects of the paving process and costs but that the final decision is "up to the commission."

The meeting continued without Payne. Koeper said he was willing to let some dead-end roads be paved with chip and seal, but not heavily for traveled roads.

After the meeting he said he felt snubbed by the advisory board's vote, adding "I'll get over it."

On Monday the commissioners will consider which roads will be graded; on April 2, they will choose which roads will be paved this year.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

388-3646

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