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Washington County
Posted: Feb 22, 2022 10:11 AMUpdated: Feb 22, 2022 1:37 PM
Wash. Co.: West 1400 Road Closure Tabled for Now
A public hearing regarding the closure of West 1400 Road between North 3960 and the Caney River in Washington County ends with one item voted down and another tabled.
The Washington County Commissioners hosted the public hearing during their regular meeting on Tuesday morning. Chairman Mitch Antle said his decision would be made by the property owners. Antle said it would have been fine if all property owners were in agreement, but that was not the case. He said he is not opposed to revisiting the item and going through the process again with property owners beyond that point.
Commissioner Antle said he could not make a decision on closing the road on Tuesday because it was not set within the scope of the hearing as they set out.
Jack Carter is one of the property owners that was present for the hearing. Carter said he wanted the road closed in order to put a halt to crime happening on his property. He said he would like to protect his property from being defiled while preventing any issues in regards to access that his neighbors may encounter with their own properties.
Bob Chaney is a neighboring property owner that was opposed to the road closure. Chaney said closing the road would cause his property's value to depreciate. Chaney brought a letter from an appraiser stating that the property would indeed lose value if the road was closed. He questioned whether or not other property owners that signed the petition to have the road closed realized the impact the move would make on their land.
Road maintenance was another issue that was presented in the meeting. At least one other property owner pulled their name from the petition that led to the public hearing as well.
A resolution regarding the closure and reservation of West 1400 Road would be shot down on a 2-0 vote. A State of Oklahoma Department of Transportation County Action Report would be tabled as well. The report would have removed the road from Washington County's road inventory.
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