Shafer Road meeting held
Photo by Shari Harris
Rep. Bennie Cook, left, spoke to concerned citizens at a meeting Monday evening regarding Shafer Road. Larry Wrest, right, helped organize and opened the meeting.
By Shari Harris, Publisher
A meeting was held Monday evening at the Licking Senior Center to discuss the fate of the stretch of road currently known as Shafer Road. Thirty-eight concerned citizens and elected government officials gathered for the meeting.
One topic of discussion was ownership of the roadway. Residents along the roadway who have spoken to Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) officials had a different understanding of the ownership of the roadbed than did Representative Bennie Cook. A landowner along the road had been told by MoDOT that the state only owned about 3.5 miles of the road, and the remainder was owned by local residents. The road was originally asphalted in 1932, and it seems possible that not all of the easements were recorded at that time.
In contrast, MoDOT had indicated to Cook that they owned the road but that it had been taken off the MoDOT system, therefore would not be maintained.
The county/township is the only one who could say they did NOT own the road, as only maintenance had been turned over to them in 1962, and the township later followed the terms of the contract to abandon the road back to the state.
Rep. Cook vowed to investigate the ownership questions further and collected names and phone numbers of those attending so he could keep all updated on his progress.
The old highway through and south of Licking was changed to Highway 137 when the new Highway 63 was constructed in the early 1960s. Extending the current Highway 137 northward via Highway 32 and Highway 63, then along the length of Shafer Road to its junction with Highway 63 in Phelps County was posed as a potential way to continue the fight to get MoDOT to maintain the road. Representative Cook indicated he plans to have legislation ready at the opening of the next legislative session to get funding for the extension of Highway 137 through the length of what is currently Shafer Road.
Cook advised those attending that he would need their help to get the legislation passed, and letters of testimony, along with testimony in person at House and Senate hearings, would likely be necessary. Anyone who was unable to attend the meeting and who would like to be placed on a contact list for Shafer Road updates can contact Cook’s office at 573-751-2264, or they can email him at Bennie.Cook@house.mo.gov. Cook also provided a contact number for MoDOT where citizens can report damage to vehicles caused by the road, at 417-469-6286.
Associate County Commissioner Robert Ross attended the meeting; he has been working with Cook on the Shafer Road funding legislation. Rep. Brad Hudson, who is running unopposed for the District 33 State Senate seat, also was present and pledged his support for funding the road. Other officials at the meeting included Associate Commissioner John Casey, Sherrill Township Board Member Leroy Lane, and City of Licking Mayor Keith Cantrell.
Landowner Larry Wrest, who helped organize the meeting, opened and closed the gathering with prayer. Wrest also urged everyone to “keep calling and putting the pressure on them.”
