'Duly noted'

WALLACE — Wallace property owners Ryder Gauteraux and Chuck Jones appeared before the Shoshone Board of County Commissioners in an effort to negotiate perceived necessary road access through their property.

The BOCC denied a petition last week that would’ve validated a portion of Weyer Gulch Road in Wallace, specifically one that Gauteraux and Jones had been using to access their property on the southeast mountains of Wallace.

According to the property owners, they believe that with BOCC’s denial of the road validation, that it makes the road through their property a private road and no one can use it without their permission.

This includes those who may have used it historically to access the water and radio towers that are on adjacent property owned by the East Shoshone Water District.

“Either you or the state of Idaho has been maintaining the road up there to have access to the radio tower,” Gauteraux said. “The water district uses the road to get to the water tower as well. Apparently, if that’s not a public road, then that means it’s a private road and our property is being used without permission and I’m not OK with it.”

He further went on to inform the BOCC that they would need to negotiate a temporary agreement for access until they could “imminent domain” the access.

The radio tower in question is one that was installed and maintained by the state of Idaho for the court system of which Shoshone County is considered an “end user” of.

That being said, according to BOCC Chairman Mike Fitzgerald, the county has no responsibility for the tower.

“Our only interest in the tower is as an end user for our court system,” Fitzgerald said. “We don’t own equipment up there, we don’t maintain equipment up there, and we have no interest in having easement or access.”

He also explained that to their knowledge, when the state needs access to maintain the tower and the site, they access it through water district property and then climb the hill themselves.

After this explanation the blood pressure of the meeting rose quite a bit.

“Well then I can trespass you from my property until you figure out something else?” Ryder asked.

Fitzgerald did not appreciate the allusion of a threat, especially as it concerns a vital piece of public safety.

“This is a very disturbing component and stance that you are taking,” Fitzgerald said. “Holding your community hostage with a potentially needed item…”

That was where the meeting derailed, both Gauteraux and Jones cut the commissioner off and objected to any sort of wrongdoing on their part.

“That is so unfair, I’m so tired of you all putting roadblocks up in front of us and then we take another course because we’ve been forced into and then you call it a threat?” Jones said incredulously. “That’s not fair Mike, that’s not fair to say. We’re just trying to stand up for some rights. We’re so tired of being the object of this hate group or whatever it is. Nobody has asked us what we’re going to do up there.”

Both Jones and Gauteraux believe that they are being specifically targeted by a group of Wallace residents who do want them to have access to their property.

“What they want to do is force us into selling them the property, which is all just bullshit,” Gauteraux said. “But we’re not going to get into that. The only thing we’re here to do is discuss the crossing of our property to get to the water tower and the radio tower, which is necessary.”

To which Fitzgerald responded, “and at this time, the county doesn’t have an interest in crossing your property.”

Gauteraux attempted to have the final word in the meeting.

“Well then, for the record I do not want you crossing my property until this is worked out,” he told the commissioners.

As Fitzgerald and the other commissioners began to exit the meeting, he responded to Gauteraux’s request.

“Duly noted.”