County Reaches Deal to Avoid Eminent Domain

“The county has reached an agreement with a property owner to avoid using eminent domain for a bridge project.

County officials had been at an impasse with Gerard and Kathleen Furdek over two parcels needed for the New Hope Church Road bridge project.

Of the $7,000 that the county paid for the property, about $4,800 is for the actual value of the land, and the other $2,200 is for court costs the county would have paid if eminent domain proceedings had gone forward, Franklin County Highway Administrator Eva Gadcke said.

She said the right of way is a little more than an acre.

As part of the deal, the county also agreed to set a 30 mph speed limit on the bridges and the approaches to the bridges; establish no parking areas on the bridges and approaches; stripe the centerline of the roadway; and construct the project in a fashion to allow for an access to the Furdeks’ property.”

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Mitchell, Josh. The Missourian 20 February 2013.