Easement, license agreements amended by Shoshone BOCC

WALLACE –– Earlier this month, Shoshone County Commissioners agreed to amend an easement agreement between the county and Buell Bros. Incorporated (BBI) allowing them to replace a bridge over Elk Creek along Potlatch Road in the southern region of Shoshone County near Herrick Park. 

Shoshone County has roughly 100 feet of right-of-way near the project site, but that doesn’t allow enough room to install the temporary bridge structure needed to allow traffic to flow while the project is completed. 

The two changes to the agreement were the time frame of the easement and an additional clause that allows the county more flexibility for adding jersey barriers to deter traffic through the private property.  

“We’re just thankful that we were able to enter into this temporary easement with the property owner,” Shoshone County Public Works Director Jessica Stutzke said.  

According to previous reports, the project was originally expected to be completed by the end of October, but according to Shoshone County Prosecutor Ben Allen, that timeframe has been pushed back. Because of this needed extension, the property owner has concerns about the public accessing private property.  

The temporary easement agreement is fairly standard and includes the county’s request to have an additional 15-foot section that allows the temporary bridge to be installed as well as allowing public access to cross it, while also crossing through a small section of private property.  

As part of the agreement, the county will restore the property after the project’s completion, including the removal of the temporary bridge and the obliteration of the temporary easement road. This includes restoring the contours of the shoulder of Potlatch Road to prevent the continued use of the temporary route by the public and potentially using jersey barriers if needed.  

The Elk Creek Trestle is being replaced through the Leading Idaho Local Bridge Program and is 100% funded with no match by the County.   

The county had also agreed to install a 20-foot gate at the top of a small ramp that provides access to a small section of private, riverfront property, that they use to fill the water trucks for various projects. However, upon inspection, it was determined that a gate of that size wouldn’t make sense.  

Along with that discovery, Shoshone County’s Public Works department told Allen that the frequency in which they utilize the ramp is less than what they previously believed.   

Due to these changes, the county is amending its license agreement with BBI to utilize a different access point for filling its water trucks and provide additional flexibility for the county. 

BBI informed the county that they could provide alternative access for the county to fill its water trucks if they decided that they didn’t want to utilize the current ramp near Elk Creek. However, should the county decide to use the alternative access point on the eastern bank of Elk Creek, they would be tasked with removing the ramp on the western bank that they had previously been utilizing. Because of the lack of a gate, the ramp has reportedly been utilized by many trespassers for things like launching boats, parking recreational vehicles, or parking personal vehicles.  

According to Stutzke, the county will save money by using the new east bank access point, citing that the county would no longer need to provide and maintain a gate, or any signage for the former ramp.