Commissioners offer sympathy, no new answers for Calabria

McCOOK, Neb. — Mistakes were made in the past regarding a housing development north of McCook, but it will be up to current residents to deal with recurring issues, Red Willow County commissioners told one of the residents at Monday’s regular meeting.

Adam Wolford’s presentation to the commissioners centered on the long-standing issues with road maintenance in the Calabria subdivision where he resides. He described how the subdivision, initially developed by Joe Giorgione, was partially within the city’s two-mile radius when constructed, leading to complications regarding road maintenance responsibilities. Wolford emphasized that while the roads were built to city standards and were dedicated as public roads, there was no long-term plan for their upkeep. Over the years, residents have informally maintained the roads, but this has proven inadequate, especially as more homes were built and drainage issues worsened.

Wolford argued that proper maintenance from the beginning would have prevented the current situation. He mentioned that the city initially approved the zoning but did not plan for future annexation or ongoing maintenance. He urged the commissioners to recognize the high property values in the subdivision and the necessity of maintaining the roads to protect homeowners’ investments.

The commissioners discussed potential solutions, such as forming a homeowners’ association (HOA) or a special improvement district (SID), but noted the challenges, including the cost and logistics of upgrading the roads to county standards. They also highlighted that the county’s limited resources make it difficult to maintain private roads without setting a precedent that could lead to similar requests from other areas. The session ended with the acknowledgment that further research and discussion with the city would be necessary to find a viable solution.