At the Dolores County Board of County Commissioners meeting Monday morning, residents on the Dolores-Norwood Road and near Groundhog raised concerns that the road was closed for winter without severe weather conditions and without proper notice.
On Wednesday, Thomas Jaeger, who lives on the road, told The Journal that the county road manager Steve Davis closed the road citing the depth of snow, but closed it without providing proper notice, leaving residents living on the road and in the Groundhog area unable to get out for the needed supplies to make it through the winter.
Right now, Jaeger said the snow is too shallow for his snowmobiles and too hazardous to bypass the gate in a regular vehicle. Consequently residents have been trapped above the gate.
Jaeger said the county usually texts residents about closing the road but did not this year. An announcement online Dec. 5 announced that the road would close Dec. 7.
At the meeting, multiple Groundhog residents spoke to the commissioners, asking for potential solutions or other options to closing the gate, especially when there isn’t enough snow to warrant road closure.
One of the commissioners said that typically they wait for snow accumulation before shutting down the road, and the warm temperatures and late logging activities were not anticipated.
“I think what we need to do is take another look at that road and see what it looks like,” he said. “I was up there on the seventh, I did not see damage. I think it’s a very well built road. So, I’d like to get together and we’ll look at it.”
The commissioners expressed concerns over road damage by vehicles, four-wheelers, snowmobiles and other vehicles bypassing the gate to get to town.
Jaeger, who was attending the meeting, said they were shocked to see the road closed after little snow and no issues navigating the road.
“We’re in winter prep emergency mode,” he said. “I’m going to be shut in for six months where I can’t get water. … This is the most critical time of the year for me to be getting water and all the supplies to get through the winter, and suddenly the county is closing the road after they’ve just said, ‘We don’t close the road until we absolutely have to.’”
He said the closure did not give residents time to prepare for the winter.
County officials have said they closed the road in part to keep travelers from becoming stuck in snow and stranded, requiring rescue.
People who attended the commissioners meeting suggested the county put up a sign that warned people to “Travel at your own risk,” in an effort to decrease the county’s liability during heavy snow. People who attended the meeting said they understood that closing parks was sometimes necessary, but that inhabited areas should follow different rules.
“There are people who live on that road year-round,” Jaeger said. “We’re in the mode of getting ready for winter.”
“I don’t think I can get my mail in the middle of winter because that’s closed. I brought this up to the county last year, thinking the county would do something about this, but to my knowledge, there has been no consideration and no change of any kind,” he continued.
He said that he and other residents who try to bypass the gate could become stuck or roll their vehicle.
“You’ve got the door locked, and you’re going to get me killed,” he said. “You’re creating a situation in where my life is being risked to prevent something that I’m not sure is going to even happen. I’m just baffled by this.”
Addressing the concern about damage to the road, those in attendance said they would repair the road next year if there happens to be any damage that occurs.
It is unclear whether a solution was reached about how to handle the gate’s closure.
The Journal was able to speak briefly with Commissioner Floyd Cook, but he did not respond to a request for comment. Jaeger was also unable to be reached for additional comment.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
