By Tom Gilchrist
Staff Writer
CARO — Members of the board overseeing the Tuscola County Road Commission apologized to Sheriff Lee Teschendorf and Deputy Ryan Herford on Thursday, two weeks after board member Julie Matuszak called for “stricter enforcement” of laws governing commercial vehicles.
Matuszak said Thursday that road board members’ comments were “kind of taken out of (context)” in an Oct. 1 Advertiser article.
“All we did (Thursday) was told Ryan he’s doing a good job and apologized, because our statements were kind of taken out of (context) and it was a long discussion that we had (in) reference (to) his contract and stuff like that,” Matuszak said. “We thought Ryan is doing an excellent job. He’s doing what we’ve asked him to do.
“We wanted to apologize to him and the sheriff for anything that came out that made it look like he wasn’t doing what he was supposed to be doing, and that we were disgruntled with him.”
“I think the whole board feels the same way, that we got slammed again for something we didn’t do — which has happened in the papers quite often here lately — and again, I apologize again for what took place,” Road Board Vice Chairman Gary Parsell told Teschendorf.
The article reported on the road board’s decision to renew a one-year contract with the Sheriff’s Department for weighmaster services in 2015. The board unanimously approved the contract, which comes with a 2.2 percent cost increase according to Road Commission Finance Director Mike Tuckey.
Herford, who attended Thursday’s Road Board meeting along with Teschendorf, works as county weighmaster under the contract. Weighmasters enforce laws governing commercial vehicles, including truck sizes and weights.
Matuszak said at the Sept. 25 meeting that “I think it’s time for some stricter enforcement. That’s my opinion — that we need to step up.” During the same meeting, board member Mike Zwerk said that “From the reports that we get, there are an awful lot of warnings, it seems, and I think that we need to step it up a little bit.”
Road Board member Pat Sheridan praised Herford on Thursday.
“We could not be happier with the job he was doing,” Sheridan said.
Teschendorf said following the Sept. 25 meeting that if Road Board members “have an issue with overweight trucks, or load limits, or traveling unapproved roads — if they want to direct that weighmaster to do extra enforcement or to enforce problem areas — I have no problem with that.”
In other action Thursday, the Road Board voted to accept Superintendent/Manager Jay Tuckey’s recommendation to pursue the hiring of Joseph Miklovic as a mechanic for the Road Commission’s Caro Garage.
County Highway Engineer Michele L. Zawerucha reported the Thomas Road bridge — north of M-138 and south of Elmwood Road in Akron Township — is not scheduled to reopen until November.
“However, we’re waiting on an epoxy coating to be put on the concrete deck, and that (coating) is weather-sensitive,” Zawerucha said. “So if we can’t get it in within the next couple weeks, we’ll open the bridge for traffic to use it, and then wait until spring when we have good weather to apply the epoxy.”
Board members also approved a medical leave of absence through Nov. 1 for Road Commission employee Joe Male.
Zawerucha reported that crews still plan to place new asphalt yet this year on one mile of Hoppe Road west of Colwood Road in Columbia Township, on eight-tenths of a mile of Elmwood Road east of Cemetery Road in Novesta Township, on one mile of VanGeisen Road west of Caro in Indianfields Township, and on several miles of Cedar Run Road to the village of Gagetown in Elmwood Township.
Next year, crews plan to repave Ormes Road from Vassar Road east to M-15, in Vassar Township.