A mile-long stretch of Eastonville Road that leads to Falcon High School carries 1,800 cars a day, most driven by parents, students, staff or teachers at the school.

But the gravel road is like a washboard and requires a lot of grading and dust suppression.

El Paso County had planned to have developers pave the road, but that was derailed by the slowdown in growth and now the county plans to apply a tar and gravel mix known as chip seal to the road.

But the county wants School District 49 to pay $100,000 of the $333,533 cost.

Although other school districts have paid for public roads, such as Lewis-Palmer School District 38’s help improving Baptist Road, somehow D-49 evaded building roads for the new high school, opened in 2007.

“I’m at a loss to figure out why this school district (D-49) should get a free ride,” Commissioner Wayne Williams said Thursday at a commission meeting. “Allowing them to do that sets a very bad precedent.”

Commissioners Sallie Clark and Jim Bensberg voted against making D-49 pay.

“While I understand the school should participate,” Clark said, “this is a public road and we should deal with these safety issues.”

Commissioners Amy Lathen and Dennis Hisey sided with Williams, also agreeing that when development picks up, the county will try to recover its money from developers and D-49 will get a share. Developers will be expected to pave, curb and gutter the road.

D-49 board member Kent Clawson was noncommittal about chipping in. “It’s something we can discuss,” he said.

Public Services Director Tim Wolken said he hopes to get the 6,500-foot-long road fixed this summer.

The county’s other major projects this summer will be to chip-seal 13.2 miles of Myers Road, estimated to cost up to $75,000, and $310,000 for easements for the Bennett/Blue Gill Drainage Basin project east of Falcon.

–

Call Zubeck at 636-0238

Liberty High School security guard Sara Brandow,left checked Greg Scymanski’s driver license Tuesday morning at a desk in the school’s lobby. ” I appreciate the service this school provides to keep the students safe”, said Schymanski. Photo by CAROL LAWRENCE/THE GAZETTE