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Sunday, September 5, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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No changes made to Gilchrist Lane
Published November 11, 2009
The status of a street just south of the Del Rio city limits will not change, county commissioners court decided Monday.
The court voted 3-0-1, with Val Verde County Commissioner Precinct 4 Jesse “Cheo” Ortiz abstaining, to leave unchanged the status of a portion of Gilchrist Lane, part of which lies inside the city limits and part of which lies in the county.
The court took its vote on the status of Gilchrist Lane at the request of Val Verde County Commissioner Precinct 1 Ramiro Ramon, who asked for a discussion of and possible action on the status of Gilchrist Lane during Monday's meeting of the county commissioners court.
Ramon asked that the item be placed on the court's agenda after repeated requests from Gilchrist Lane homeowner Robert Chattler, who wants a section of Gilchrist Lane reclassified from a Class 3 roadway to a Class 2 roadway.
“The difference between these designations is that a Class 3 has no administrative authority, while a Class 2 is under the care of Val Verde County,” Chattler wrote on a flyer given to Gilchrist Lane-area property owners last week.
Ramon told the court Monday he had requested the agenda item so that Chattler could address the court once again.
Ramon told Chattler to keep his presentation to five minutes.
Before his appeal, Chattler handed out informational packets to the commissioners court members. The packets included a map of the area in question and photos of the section of road Chattler has asked to be reclassified.
Chattler told the court the county had previously filled potholes on the road and mowed the right of way.
“These services came to a halt about two years ago when a neighbor of mine decided to try to take sole possession of the road after they had pleaded their case to the county commissioner. . .” Chattler said.
Chattler said he subsequently checked county records and found that the road was “made public” in 1962. Chattler said when he showed the record to the county attorney's office, representatives of that office told him the road was indeed public, but that it was a “Class 3” road.
The county attorney and her assistant recommended he approach commissioners court to have the portion of road reclassified.
Assistant County Attorney David Martinez told the court he has researched the issue and learned that .4 miles of Gilchrist Lane are considered a county road, but that portion of Gilchrist Lane is not the one being addressed by Chattler.
“As to the portion of the roadway on Gilchrist Lane one which Mr. Chattler addressed the court just a few minutes ago, there is a public dedication that was discovered. The public dedication in and of itself does not make that road a county road. Our office did not find anywhere where that portion of the road has officially been classified as a 1, 2 or a 3 (road),” Martinez told the court.
He also said the width of the road will prevent it from being classified as a Class 2 road. Martinez also noted that the county will soon conduct an inventory of county roads that will help the court address problems like this in the future.
As for Gilchrist Lane, Martinez said, “It has never been a county road, and it is not now a county road.”
Ramon confirmed that Randee Fagan, the owner of the land on which the road is located, asked him to stop maintaining the road.
“We are not allowed on private roads, unless it is an emergency or safety issue, and I did stop the maintenance of this road. I went back one time this year because it was getting to be a safety issue, with the over growth (of roadside weeds). . .My opinion and my recommendation on this remains the same: This is a private road . . .whose owner does not want the county to take over, and unless it is an emergency, the county or any other government should not take over roads the owner does not want to give us,” Ramon said.
Fagan also attended Monday's meeting, but did not address the court.
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