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Proposed Road Closure Remains Undecided

By Brian Hagen/Greg Bebermeyer

12/29/2016

(KAIR)--The decision to close a portion of a Brown County road is on hold. That follows a public hearing held Tuesday during the regular meeting of the Brown County Commission.

At issue is the possible closure of the portion of Kingfisher Road that lies over two railroad crossings, north of 250th Road. Both the Commission and the Union Pacific Railroad are seeking the closure for safety reasons.

During Tuesday's public hearing, voices of opposition were heard, with nine individuals voicing their concerns should the road be closed. Among them was Brown County Sheriff John Merchant. “I've had concerns from county residents that live out that way,” Merchant tells MSC News. “[They] expressed a concern about of a lack of emergency response time, should that road be closed, and the ability to get emergency services there, as they should be.”

During the public hearing, no one voiced support for the proposed closure.

No decision was reached, as Commissioner Steve Roberts was absent from the meeting. Instead, Commissioners Warren Ploeger and Keith Olsen voted to table the matter until Friday morning's 9:00 meeting of the Commission when Roberts will be present.

The railroad has offered the county a payment of $150,000 to close the portion of the road where the two rail crossings are located. That would be done to alleviate the costly prospect of installing warning devices at the crossing.

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