By Traci Chapman/Staff writer

Saying he’d taken an “undetermined amount of abuse,” District 2 Commissioner Don Young addressed stories about a $1.5 million, 15-mile section of road which began to fail a week after it was completed at Monday’s commissioners meeting.

Young reiterated statements he had previously made that criticisms of the road construction – stretching from the south side of the El Reno Regional Airport, running south to Union City and west from the airpark to Heaston – were politically motivated, saying, “It being an election year, some people have made a big issue out of it. If it hadn’t been an election year, nothing would ever have been said about the project.”

Young’s term expires in January; in April, he paid the first of what would total $1.5 million to Schwartz Asphalt, the company contracted to complete the asphalt overlay on the project. Young and his crew completed the “prep” work on the road “since spring,” he said. Initially described by Young as a 15-mile project, the commissioner said Monday the overlay extends over 13 ½ miles.

Questions arose in June about the timing of the project. At that time, records showed Young spent more than $1.7 million since April 1 on maintenance and operations, more than twice the sum he expended the entire nine months prior to that time.

Young said he saved two years to fund the project.

Young also took aim at Local Technical Assistance Program director Douglas Wright and local government specialist Mike Hinkston Monday. Wright and Hinkston traveled to Canadian County from their office in Stillwater July 2 to review the 15-mile strip of road. Wright said at that time, although he and Hinkston had heard reports of how the road was prepared and overlaid, he felt it was important to review the project in person.

After reviewing the road July 2, Wright said the $1.5 million spent by Young on the overlay project was not a wise investment, and it would become the next commissioner’s problem – a long-term and expensive one.

“Even if you just patch this, which I think would be very problematic, it’s going to be a constant project, and it certainly won’t be cheap,” Wright said at that time. “The only way to really fix it is to dig all of it up and start over with the correct base. That could cost at least the amount he initially spent, if not more.”

Young addressed Wright’s analysis, saying, “I doubt that the technical advisers of the road program ever built a road. They just tell you how to build. They don’t have the resources. A contractor will tell you that,” he said. “I don’t appreciate Mike Hinkston and Doug Wright coming out and criticizing the way I prepare a road because of one failure with untrue statements that I have wasted $1.5 million on a road.”

Wright said his opinion was further confirmed after reviewing photos of the base prepared by Young, taken prior to Wright’s visit to the road and the completion of the asphalt overlay.

“Commissioner Young states that the methods we teach in our classes aren't cost- effective and that he spends the residents money wisely. What I saw on this road will be neither cost-effective nor a wise use of Canadian County dollars,” he said. “In my opinion, it appears Mr. Young has wasted $1.5 million worth of asphalt. The entire road will not fail immediately, though some sections already have, but it will fail much sooner than it would have had the base been properly prepared.”

County resident Bill Webb agreed with Wright. Webb has lived along the stretch of road improved by Young, and he said he has fought “a losing battle” with Young to get the road repaired.

“The county commissioner has neglected the road for all these years – now he comes in and doesn’t do it right. It won’t hold up. It will need patching before he even leaves office,” Webb said.

Young and Webb agreed a lot of heavy traffic travels the road; Webb said the fact

Young knew about that traffic should have counted for something when preparing for the asphalt overlay.

“He throws in that concrete and rock and doesn’t even get the holes completely patched. I’ve seen how much asphalt there is on there and how when it comes up, there’s rocks and gravel underneath. I’m not a road engineer, but I’ve seen what happens,” he said. “We drive this road all the time, and it’s surreal.”

Young cited road projects he completed over the last 12 years throughout the county and said his methods are proven.

“In 1996 I laid 10 miles, five on Methodist Road. This month the first patches have been done on it, none of them more than 3-foot sizes. There are only five of them. I laid one mile to Methodist Camp, no patches; two miles on Czech Hall Road, no patches; two miles on Cemetery Road, two patches. These roads are 12 years old, and if it’s a sorry way to build a road, I think we need to build more sorry roads,” he said.

Other projects completed, he said, included:
* Two miles of Banner Road, one patch;
* Two miles from Cedar Lake to Ranch Road, no patches;
* 3 ½ miles from Caddo Jake to Heaston, one patch;
* 3 ½ miles Heaston from Reno to I-40, two patches; and
* In 2008, 13 ½ miles with one failure.

“I think my record speaks for itself, and I think the newspapers need to get some of this stuff straightened out,” he said. “I’m going out of office. There’s no reason to be beating on me now.”