With both the spring and so far, early summer of 2011 being wetter than normal, it also means that grass keeps growing faster…including alongside state and county right-of-ways.

This situation causes concern for citizens and public officials alike who would like to see grass along roadways cut more often. However, there is time involved and other factors that cause the county mowing process to go slower than many would like.

Road Supervisor Jim Pennycuff, while explaining the process of how county roads are mowed and maintained throughout the spring, summer and early fall period, also said he understood the public’s frustration, adding that he had to travel the roads himself, including state roads which are sometimes overgrown with fast growing grass and weeds.

Pennycuff said the goal of the county road department was to have the ‘first round’ of mowing completed by Memorial Day. This meant the first cut began in mid-April, when grass isn’t growing as much nor as fast. “There’s not a lot of growth in mid-April, but we have to begin then to complete the cycle by the Memorial Day holiday,” he said.

In covering the entire county, the road crew takes a counter-clockwise position to begin at one location and end at another, which usually takes about two months per each cutting cycle.

Pennycuff said two tractors are used, one for a short cut and another with a longer reach.

The county mowing process is now in its second cycle, and as of this week being off Hwy. 738 and will proceed to Spring Creek. It began on North 127 to Cartwright, Nora and Piney Woods and proceeds to areas in Seventy-Six, Fairland, Desda and other locations in the counter-clockwise mode, ending up in the Sugar Valley area.

After each mowing cycle across the county is complete, the road crew takes a couple of days to make repairs to tractors and mowing equipment as well as replacing parts as needed.

“This time we are attempting to mow the entire right-of-way, with five or six cuts, which will take a little longer”, Pennycuff said.

He also noted the road crew is dealing with a lot of Johnsongrass, which grows rapidly. “We do have complaints each month,” he said, adding again he understood the frustrations but noted the county crew was doing as much as possible with the crew and equipment they have to work with.

The mowing cycles continue each year until the last frost and weeds cease growing, he noted.

Although the weather has not cooperated much this year, Pennycuff did note that the road crew had been fortunate thus far, not having to miss very many full days of mowing due to the weather. However, there are other factors that slow down the process, including machine and equipment breakdowns which call for repairs. Also, after strong storms hit the county, causing damage, members of the road crew are pulled for a day or so to help clean up in the county after the storms.

The crew consists of three people, including the two tractor operators who do the mowing as well as the escort. The escorts duties are to put up the proper signs for the mowing zones, going ahead to clean up any debris that may be thrown onto the road while the mowing is taking place, as well as directing traffic when that need arises.

Pennycuff also asks the traveling public to use extreme caution and drive slow and use patience in a mowing zone area for the safety of themselves and the people doing the work.

Finally, the road supervisor briefly discussed the problem of road signs being either taken down, stolen or vandalized. He has addressed the fiscal court about the issue in the past, noting the cost to the county in having to replace the signs.

Pennycuff estimated that since he became road supervisor the first of the year, about 100 signs had either been torn down or stolen, not counting some stop signs.

Although the theft of road signs is an ongoing problem and hard to “fix,” it does cost the county money and also is somewhat of a hazard since the county signs help direct all types of emergency personnel to their destinations.

Pennycuff did say that some signs in some areas wound up missing or torn down in some areas more than others, but noted it was generally a county-wide problem.

The estimated cost for replacing a road sign–including using two employees for about an hour to re-erect them, is about $75 per sign. Thus far, about 15 signs per month this year have been either taken down or stolen.

Although stop signs are not as much of a problem, Pennycuff estimated those signs may cost more to replace.

Stop signs which are taken down on state right-of-ways are replaced by the state. However, stop signs that are removed from county road intersections have to be replaced by the county, he noted.

He did say that not a lot of people report signs being taken down or stolen, but on occasion people do let him or law enforcement know. He also said that in some cases, those who take signs take post and all, while some just take the signs themselves.

Pennycuff said he kept a running list of signs that are either vandalized or torn down and asks the public’s help in reporting such incidents.