2003

Mixed Reactions

Dust is probably the worst drawback of living on a dirt road, but since 48 miles of Granger’s roads are dirt and only 10 are paved, the people here have all learned to cope with the situation. This year we were given a small sample of what living on a ‘paved’ road might be. I did a general survey to get the public opinion of the oil and stone done by our highway department, and found that most of the residents like the results, but say that it is “not enough.” A wide range of comments included: “It’s about time! I love it! – It’s a sign that the people of Granger are finally modernizing – It should’ve been done sooner! – It’s money that could’ve been spent on equipment (sander, snow plow, more salt/sand) – We need to go back to using the less expensive salt brine because our money is limited – It’s a total waste of time and money – We still have lots of dust and we need our ditches cleaned. Do that instead.”

I drove many miles on our town roads doing this survey and found that where the roads were treated it was smooth and flat, even with all the recent rains. Some residents said they would be willing to pay out of their own pocket to have more oil and stone put in front of their homes, and there were some who would even be willing to have their taxes raised to help pay for their road to be done.

If we are offered this opportunity again, people asked if they could choose where they wanted their oil and stone. Instead of by the driveway, they could have it in front of their house, by a barn, or on one side or the other of where it is now, thus extending the ‘pavement’ in front of their homes.

Many residents felt that this wasn’t helping at dust control, while others were happy to finally be able to leave their windows open, and not get dust inside! Some felt that this improvement only presented an invitation for travelers on their roads to drive faster.

In all fairness, the highway department did this solely for the purpose of dust control. It was not intended to make a permanent pavement. Other townships around us have used this method with mixed success. The events of 9/11 have greatly downsized or eliminated our funding so we have to make do with what we have. Preparing a road base for oil and stone is extensive and also expensive. Our small community cannot afford it. I was told that when the roads are honed next time that the drivers will raise their equipment to try and preserve the oil and stone. Unless the sides of the roads are in need of repair, the treatment will not be disturbed.

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