KINGWOOD — Kingwood Council is petitioning the State Division of Highways (DOH) to return ownership of some roads inside city limits.
The vote Tuesday was not without controversy, as Mayor Jean Guillot and Councilman Dick Shaffer got into a shouting match.
The issue arose last week, after the DOH told Kingwood to remove stop signs from Miller Road. The signs have been there more than 15 years.
“The issue I have is these roads are not owned by the city, yet the city maintains these roads. We plow these roads, and my belief is we shouldn’t do any of that if they’re not owned by the city,” Guillot said.
He noted that in 2015 the city paid a contractor $43,715 to pave Miller Road. The state sometimes gives Kingwood blacktop to fix the roads, the mayor said, “but we go get it with our truck, we mill it with our machines and we put it down with our equipment and our guys.”
Shaffer pointed out the blacktop is free. So how is that different than a citizen offering to buy blacktop if the city will put it on his private alley, Guillot asked? And why does the city plow Seemont, which is owned by the state, but refuse to plow Kimberly because it’s not a dedicated street?
“Did they give us $43,000 worth of blacktop?” Guillot asked Shaffer.
Twenty years ago, the state took some city roads under the HARP program.
“I think we’ve seen a change of personnel in the state road that has taken it a little further and made it a little different than it was originally designed for,” Recorder Bill Robertson said. “They’re trying to standardize everything to their playbook for bigger roads … on city streets.”
Now anyone on these roads has to apply to the state to add a driveway, Robertson noted.
“I just don’t agree that we’re getting really what we went into this program for,” he concluded.
He also said he thought it was a waste of time for two DOH workers to spend eight hours parked on Miller Road counting cars going through an intersection to see if the stop signs are needed.
“You’re going to regret it, boys,” Shaffer said. “You don’t know what you’re getting ahold of.”
How is it different from what’s done now, Councilman Mike Lipscomb asked. A lot, Shaffer said, because the city supervisor has a good relationship with the DOH and the city doesn’t have enough workers.
“We’re taking away the responsibility for [the DOH] to take care of it,” Guillot said.
“I don’t want to hear it, Jean, because you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shaffer told Guillot. “If I’d known how you were going to act I wouldn’t have given you that seat you’re sitting in. And you know I gave it to you.”
Guillot gaveled the meeting to order and the men later apologized to one another.
Council voted 4-1, with Shaffer dissenting, to ask the state to return control of Brown Avenue, Kevin Lane, South Price Street, Sisler Street, Seemont Drive, King Drive, Scott Lane, Sharon Lane, Western Drive, Miller Road, East High Street and West High Street.
It did not ask for Grape Thicket Road, Tunnelton Street, West Main Street (W.Va. 7), Oak Street and East Main Street, which continue out of town.
Voting for it were Robertson, Lipscomb, Karen Kurilko and Tina Turner. Josh Fields was absent.
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