Letter to the Editor

Frustration with County Commissioner on road

Dear Editor, Last week‚s article on Lake View Road misquoted me, and I would like to correct the record and articulate my frustration with Commissioner Burlison. Mrs. McCulley quoted me as saying “lime dust chokes and breaks down lawnmowers.” Mrs. Limore, as I recall, voiced this complaint. My frustration is with Commissioner Burlison‚s lack of initiative and his do-nothng attitude.

He has been working on a two-mile stretch of road for two years. More precisely, the two-mile stretch of road has been in a state of disrepair for two years. I make the distinction because the former statement implies progress, proactivity–implies that, however protracted, something is at least being done. I cannot say that this describes my road under Commissioner Burlison, which has undergone long periods of delays momentarily disrupted by brief intermissions of work. As my neighbor says, “everyday is his Sabbath.”

Again and again, I have called Commissioner Burlison, and he has repeatedly assured me that I am his “top priority,” which given the numerous delays, demonstrates his lack of commitment to his priorities. I asked him for a timeframe, and I‚m told that he will not be subjected to a timeframe. I asked when I would see results, and I‚m told there were delays. I asked for any updates, and he gave me excuses. It is as if he finds it easier to excuse his indolence than do his job.

The driving conditions of Lake View Road are as hazardous to drivers as there are damaging to vehicles. The road is used by 15 households, in addition to the daily traffic of non-residents, such as the Sallisaw Public School bus. Driving on the road blows a storm of lime dust that reduces visibility to zero and covers everything in the surrounding environment: walkers, vehicles, lawns, trees, fences, driveways, homes. It‚s everywhere! My neighbor even said that there was lime dust inside his home! Additionally, driving on loose gravel throws rocks that chips paint and cracks windshields, and it‚s especially hazardous for younger, less experienced drivers.

I‚m confident that if Commissioner Burlison, or someone of consequence, were made to endure these conditions, the road would have been fixed promptly and to their satisfaction. Residents of Lake View Road, by contrast, have to accept his incompetence and inaction.

RITA GIBSON, SALLISAW