County resident discusses unmaintained county roads

ALAMOGORDO — Otero County resident Rodney C. Poole went before Otero County Commissioners to discuss road conditions at Escondido Acres and Gardens at their Thursday monthly meeting.

Escondido Acres and Gardens is located in the southernmost area of the basin before transitioning to Highway 54.

“This area is south of Dog Canyon Road and the first road to the right which is Southland Road you’ll come to a sign that says ‘End of County Maintenance’ then it branches out to all these roads,” Poole said. “There are currently 20 residents that are occupying the residential area and there are four vacant residences, sometimes they go up for lease.”

Poole said the biggest complaint from this area is the road conditions, which are so bad, residents have gotten stuck in the mud and are becoming fearful for their safety.

Road condition complaints are not new to County Commissioners, several residents have also complained about road conditions in the past leaving commissioners feeling helpless because most of the time they are unable to help due to the New Mexico Anti-Donation Claus.  

The physical address for Escondido Acres and Gardens is 109 Roberts Road and is considered a county road, however, an unmaintained county road.

According to Poole, Escondido Acres and Gardens roads have become impassable to many low profile vehicles even in dry weather, yet alone when it rains.

Propane trucks are also unable to get through when roads are wet. The road conditions has stopped propane companies from coming to the area.

“We only have one propane company that is willing to service the area. No one but one will service the area. Southwest Disposal will no longer service the area because of the road conditions,” Poole said. “New residents have problems with UPS and FedEx sending deliveries. Sometimes they say the roads are so bad they won’t come out. I lease a mailbox to receive package because of issues I have had of trying to get deliveries out there.”

Poole had a personal and scary situation happen to himself during a severe rain storm.

“A personal thing that happened to me, we were picking up our daughter from Seattle at the El Paso Airport and it had rained all day the day before. We left with standing water to go to the airport to pick her up. We spent some time in El Paso and we came back after dark and it rained that day as well,” he said. “I thought I knew my way around the puddled areas well enough. I missed one of my key turns and literally my headlights went underwater. I’m amazed my car didn’t flood, it scared my daughter half to death. She lives in Seattle, she’s used to rain and water and we had to honestly take her out of the area and spend the night elsewhere six days later because it was scheduled to rain again so that she can catch a flight back home because we weren’t sure we would be able to get out.”

Poole said he has spoken with the Otero County Road Department on numerous occasions and was reassured that emergency services would be able to get through during an emergency.

“I spoke a couple of times with the County Road Department about the roads and asked them what if there’s an emergency out there?” Poole said. “That is a true statement because of the age of the residents out there there’s an increased probability of needing emergency services out there.”

Otero County Road Superintendent Steve Quappe has inspected the roads and said the roads do need gravel and need to be reshaped.

According to Quappe, the cost to repair the roads can be between $30,000 to $50,000.

“We just want to be on record that we’re here and we complained and asked for help. If there’s a situation I got a number of residents that said they would sue the county for the lack of ability to get emergency services out there. We’ve also become a haven for four wheeling because of the mud, the roads have become worse. That’s what’s done away with what used to be a good solid base that we could drive underwater,” Poole said. “Not everyone is as careful a driver as I am. We need help.”

Poole went on to say that it is time for the county to look into their unmaintained county roads because there are many more residents in the county who are experiencing similar situations.

“To say we can’t do anything is no longer an unacceptable answer,” he said. “I understand there are thousands of unmaintained county roads. Let’s establish a plan on upgrading these roads, I’m sure we’re not the only people experiencing these problems.”

Otero County Manager Pamela Heltner said the ultimate decision would be up to County Commissioners.

“I would suggest before you make any decisions, that Steve (Quappe) go bring full cost for the roads,” Heltner said.

County Commissioners directed staff to research how many unmaintained county roads there are and how many subdivisions are on them.

The move is a first step the county has made to look into unmaintained county roads and could take months to research and come up with a solution.

County Commission Chairman Janet White also directed Quappe to bring back solid numbers when it comes to costs for repairing Escondido Acres and Gardens for their next meeting.