Dufferin’s Public Works Committee will not recommend that the county plow Melancthon’s Third Line OS as a detour for winter traffic in the event of a closure of County 124.

Instead, the committee will recommend that the county maintain only county roads and that the townships continue to take responsibility for their own.

The request had been made to the county by Melancthon, whose mayor, Debbie Fawcett, is chair of the county’s roads (public works) committee.

However, the committee found that the county itself is not responsible for ordering road closures except to the extent that it apprises the OPP of road conditions. It is the responsibility of the OPP to order closure when appropriate.

Mayor Fawcett said following a Tuesday morning committee meeting that there are solar-powered closure signs at County 124 and Highway 89 and, as well, at County Roads 17 and 21. It is an offence for anyone other than emergency services to drive past these closure signs, irrespective of their reason.

She suggested that the only solution for motorists might be to check the condition of Airport Road or some other alternative route (as this has been a perpetual problem for residents for many years).

Public Works Director Trevor Lewis had his own departmental reasons for not maintaining township roads.

“While the road is closed, (county) staff continues to plow the road if visibility permits. Even though we have automated signs warning of the road closure staff are required to physically close the road with barricades and this takes time, especially with the limiting conditions. There isn’t sufficient staff and resources to maintain additional roads.

“If we did have the staff and equipment, there would be other issues relating to liability and lack of knowledge of the roads of another jurisdiction.

Staff is not familiar with the roads they do not work on,” he said in his report to the committee.

In other roads business, the committee will investigate whether there ever had been an entrance permit off then-Highway 9 to the Foreman property at County Roads 25 and 109.

According to a report from Mr. Lewis, a new entrance to 109 was recently opened, whereas the Foremans within memory had been using their County 25 one, and Ministry of Transportation mapping does not show a 109 entry.

However, a letter to the county from Meryl Foreman indicates that there had been an entry to 109 although not used in recent years.

Mrs. Foreman said trucks have been parking on either side of her Road 25 entry, creating a visibility problem for her.