JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — Residents pushed back against a request by township trustees to vacate Kay Road in Jefferson Township.
Kay Road is a connector between Chapel and Jericho roads.
The county commissioners viewed the road on Thursday along with approximately 30 residents. The majority, including Danville school officials, oppose vacating the road.
Superintendent Jason Snively acknowledged in an email and also on Thursday that the district is not currently using the road. However, he said bus routes continually change based on enrollments and the transiency of families from year to year.
“Closing the road would sooner or later create issues with the efficiency of transportation and the amount of time students are on a bus,” he wrote.
Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District Chief Larry Stimpert also opposes vacating the road. He noted in an email that the district can use it as a detour if other routes close.
“If you were to close this road, the district’s response time to the village of Greer would increase dramatically when the bridge just west of Jericho Road is closed for repairs,” he wrote.
On Thursday, he reiterated that concern, adding that there have been no accidents on the road in 20 years.
Trustee Matt Kauffman said Thursday that when the proposal was brought to the trustees, it was noted that nobody lives on Kay Road while others live on roads that are not as well maintained.
He said the road was narrow and unsafe and that mutual aid would respond to help EKCJFD if the bridge closed.
“We had ample discussion … this wasn’t done lightly,” he told the group.
Stimpert responded that Nashville is volunteer, and aid depends on having volunteers and a truck available.
Unanswered questions
If the county vacates the road, it becomes a Class X road. Class X means the trustees would no longer maintain the road.
County Engineer Cameron Keaton said half of the road reverts to the landowner on one side of the road. The other half reverts to the landowner on the opposite side.
However, utility easements remain in effect.
The trustees cited trash dumping, shooting firearms, and poaching for their request to vacate Kay Road. Several residents responded that if those are the reasons, officials would have to vacate every road in Knox County.
The three newly elected trustees, Roxanna Reiheld, Monica Severns, and Brandon Holt, oppose vacating the road. They agree that many locals, specifically farmers moving equipment, use Kay Road as a cut-across between Chapel and Jericho roads, keeping them off Ohio 514.
Reiheld noted that if the commissioners close the road, the township loses the state revenue from the .6-mile stretch of roadway.
“There is no proof of landowner complaints,” Severns said. “Who requested the road be closed?”
The current trustees called a special meeting on Nov. 17 to discuss vacating Kay Road.
They posted notice of the meeting on the township’s website on Nov. 15. Severns attended the meeting.
Reiheld questioned why the trustees did not notify the incoming trustees.
Reiheld and Severns allege a conflict of interest as current trustee Frank DiMarco owns a rental cabin and property on Kay Road.
Public hearing
The Knox County commissioners scheduled a public hearing on the vacation request for Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 1:30 p.m. They will also ask county engineer Keaton for a recommendation.
Keaton said Thursday that he will make a recommendation after the public hearing.
