Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

Howdy, I’m writing in response to the letters to the editor by Mac Frank and Buck Bock.

At first, I thought there was a comprehension issue with poor mister “Mac” talking about cable TV service and such, until I realized there is no Frank Mac or Mac Frank.

In any case, the anonymous author deliberately missed the point. Mr. Bock was at least in the ballpark.

Buck, I’m going to disagree with, and state that I believe the Crook County Commissioners are not, in some important ways, doing what the folks elected them to do regarding road maintenance issues.

Most adults understand it’s often impossible for local government to make decisions that make everyone happy. For the unhappy, ones a forthright and honest explanation can take out some of the sting. So, I ask, does the following sound open and forthright?

In August, the commissioners denied my request to maintain a quarter-mile section of county road. Their decision was based on one logical criterion, road usage, and one illogical criterion: they maintain only what they have “historically” maintained.

The original “historical” date remains conveniently unspecified. Don’t you wonder how they could make those two criteria work together?

The only way it could work would be if “road usage” pattens in the county remained static since a previous commission established the “historically maintained” date way back when.

Normally, “road usage” data would be something you could get your arms around. It’s an objective criterion, black and white. Yet at the (January) commissioners’ meeting I asked why the County maintained six miles of Moskee Rd (a 12-mile snowplow run) leading to the Moskee Land LLC and the wildlife/hunting area, servicing one family, and three miles of Snooks Road servicing three families, but couldn’t maintain a ¼ mile servicing 17 families. All they could do was wave around an oddly written memo signed by seven families in the subdivision written to provide the commission cover by saying they don’t want county road maintenance.

I’m sure the 17 households (33 landowners) pay enough in property taxes to cover the ¼ mile of road and put enough into the County fund to pay our fair share in Crook County. Looking through my eyes I surely don’t see this as a burden to the taxpayers of Crook County.

To be honest, seven homes and 14 landowners do not want the County to do anything on this ¼ mile of road. They are in the minority in our association.

They maintain this quarter mile and back charge the Association for this work. Money which is used for this county road maintenance is no longer available for the private roads in our association.

If no one purchased land from the ranchers dividing up their ranches, I believe many folks in business, such as the electric co., excavators, rock/gravel truckers, electricians, plumbers, etc., would have a hard time making ends meet. Mac’s letter complaining about me sounds interesting.

Why would I demand cable to my house, city water, etc.? Stating I’m complaining about all the services mentioned is laughable. He doesn’t know me, and I have lived in a rural environment for many years. This to me is almost city living, not rural living. Once again, the property taxes paid more than cover a quarter mile of county road.

I hope we can agree to disagree.

Eric Akola