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JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Concerns over the gravel portion of County Road 62 were brought to the Stutsman County Commission Tuesday, Nov. 15.

County Resident Darrel Roorda brought concerns about the higher amount of traffic using the road near the Spiritwood Energy Park.

Roorda commended the Stutsman County Road Department for maintaining the gravel portion, but says they can’t keep up with the traffic.

He added that there’s a lot of blacktop road around the site and added he doesn’t think it’s Stutsman County’s responsibility to maintain the road.

Roorda suggested getting an estimate on what it would take to upgrade that road and approach local legislators with that quote.

Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation (JSDC) Executive Director Connie Ova stated that she has heard from legislators recently on the 12-mile stretch of gravel on CO 62.

Ova says those interested in the Spiritwood Energy Park and facilities there have met earlier this year and discussed the stretch.

It was suggested a group was put together to come up with a coordinated plan that everyone can get behind. Ova says the consensus that County Road 62 should be the focus.

Ova says she has concerns about traffic using road 46 to the Casselton exit, taking their product and soybeans to the processing plant to their area and not Spiritwood.

Daren Peterka with Interstate Engineering informed the commission that they were hired about a month ago by North Dakota Soybean Growers to look at arterials.

Peterka says the report should give the commission enough information to go to legislators with.

Commissioner Joan Morris made a motion to encourage the JSDC to form a consortium to review the artierials of the roads and create a plan to address County Road 62. The commission unanimously approved.