Panoramic View chip sealing project expected to begin this week

Commissioners hope to begin chip sealing a county-owned stretch of Panoramic View Drive this week.

“Everything is here,” said County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) of the project materials during a May 26 meeting. “It’s just the weather.”

The unpaved road has long bothered neighbors, who have taken to regularly lobbying the board of commissioners for a permanent solution. While that still remains off in the distance, the county’s top elected officials hope chip sealing the .7-mile section will alleviate the dust coming off the roadway.

The long-suffering neighbors, who have dealt with the dust problem for more than a decade, pressed commissioners earlier in May for a firm date for the chip seal project. At the time, commissioners said the project was forthcoming, but weather-dependent.

On May 26, Bennett and County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1) pointed to the warm and sunny conditions forecast for the week following Memorial Day. Road crews were available to work on the project as of June 2, the commissioners said, when the National Weather Service predicts sunny skies and a high of 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

When resident Arlene Elletson raised concerns that unexpected bad weather could lead to officials calling off the project, Bennett sought to reassure her.

“It’s going to be a triple chip seal,” he said. “So it will last.”