Property owner complains about driveway removal

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — During their board meeting Tuesday, Nobles County Commissioners received a complaint from Mike Kunerth regarding the county’s removal of a driveway accessing a parcel he recently purchased in the southeast quarter of Section 20, Hersey Township.

Kunerth had previously requested to have two driveway accesses on CSAH 14, but when he recently purchased the additional two-acre corner lot, it took his total number of driveways to three.

Kunerth contended the parcel was a separate piece of land from the 150 acres he purchased earlier this year and complained the county did not notify him of plans to remove the driveway.

“I watched Ed Busch drive up and down that road for two weeks, waiting for when we were gone,” Kunerth told commissioners. “This driveway has been there for 40 years and all of a sudden it was at the top of the list of what needs to be done (in the county).

“I think the money would have been better spent to remove the silt in the ditch,” he added.

Kunerth said he followed all of the proper protocol and paid to have two driveway accesses constructed on CSAH 14, and wondered how the actions of one commissioner could suddenly be pushed through without total board consideration.

“I feel this was underhandedly done without notification to the landowner,” he added.

Commissioner Marv Zylstra, the subject of Kunerth’s complaint, responded the land was not going to be farmed as a separate piece of land.

“That driveway served that parcel when it was a school house, and there was really no need for that driveway anymore,” Zylstra said. “You have four driveways on that parcel; I don’t think you need five. You’re going to have one crop into that whole quarter.

“I’m just not sure how many driveways you need — four should be sufficient,” Zylstra added.

Kunerth responded that he should have been given a choice as to which four driveways he wanted to keep. Two access CSAH 14, and the other two access CSAH 3.

Commissioner David Benson asked that the rest of the board have a visual aid regarding the parcel and its driveways. It was decided that each commissioner would drive out and look at the property before the next board meeting, slated for Dec. 8.

Tags: news, property, owner, complains, driveway, removal