The Weston Special Road District Board agreed Aug. 11 to reduce its cellphone expenses by more than $2,600 during the next year and outlined plans to maintain an unimproved road providing access to farmland.

The district currently pays AT&T $322.90 per month for four phones, or about $3,875 annually. Under the new arrangement, the district will cancel the AT&T service and continue reimbursing three employees for using their personal phones for district business.

Those reimbursements total $1,232.40 annually. Spectrum also offered the district one phone at no charge for a year, allowing employees to test the carrier’s coverage along rural roads before the district makes a longer-term commitment.

The change is expected to save the district about $2,642 during the first year.

In other business, landowner Richard Wilson asked the board to recognize and maintain a section of an old road west of Dye Store Road. 

Wilson said the route provides the only access to one of his fields and that he needs recognized road frontage to plat a 40-acre tract.

The road was used for decades but now ends near a creek crossing that washed out. The district has not regularly maintained the section.

Board members said the district would blade the road to keep the route established but would not add substantial gravel or make other improvements while it is used only for agricultural access. Members said the district would consider rebuilding and maintaining the road to a higher standard if a residence is constructed along it.

Resident Matthew Thomas also raised safety concerns about an intersection along Schaback Road. Thomas praised the district’s recent road improvements but said brush near a curve obstructs drivers’ views of approaching traffic. He asked the district to consider clearing the vegetation and installing a warning sign. The board took no formal action on the request.

The board also discussed parked vehicles that interfere with school buses, roadwork and snow removal in residential additions. District officials said existing no-parking and 15 mph signs may not be enforceable because the restrictions are not reflected in Platte County ordinances.

The board agreed to ask the county to formalize the parking restrictions and posted speed limits for Countryside Lane and Countryside Circle.

In a separate vote, the board authorized district officials to submit an insurance claim for a truck believed to have been damaged by lightning. Officials said the strike damaged the vehicle’s computer and electrical components. The district’s deductible is $500.

Officials reported crews have continued ditching and clearing culverts. A paving contractor is expected to move next to King Road, with about 3 miles of road preparation planned.

The board scheduled a special meeting for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, to adopt the district’s annual tax rate. Rogers Strickland said the annual action does not constitute a new tax and must be completed after the district receives updated valuation information from Platte County.

Board members participating in the Aug. 11 meeting included Strickland, Jeff Comer, Billy Baker and Billy Schenkner.