Landowner offers to rebuild a stretch of Goldfinch Road; county asks for MOU and standards

Keith Graham asked the Brown County Commission for permission to perform a targeted repair on a problematic stretch of Goldfinch Road adjacent to his property, offering his equipment, labor and cooperation from neighboring landowners.

Graham told commissioners the proposed scope would be limited to a roughly quarter‑mile section south of U.S. 270 and would focus on shaving back steep banks, regrading the subgrade, compacting and topping the shoulder with gravel. "I would ask for permission to... do that," Graham said while walking the board through maps and historical records he had supplied.

Commissioners welcomed the proposal but pressed for clear safeguards. They raised questions about whether the work would encroach on the traveled way, how water flow and drainage would be handled, whether the county would need to perform traffic control for short work windows, and how compaction and acceptance testing would be verified. KCAMP—Brown County's insurance provider—was discussed as the appropriate carrier to meet county minimums.

County staff described the procedural path commissioners favored: ask the landowner to draft a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or right‑of‑way permit that references recognized construction standards (the county suggested using the KDOT construction manual as a reference). As one commissioner put it, the county could issue a permit and an agreement that "also says you're gonna absolve us from liability for working in the right of way and then move from there." The county stressed that any public‑right‑of‑way work must be done to an agreed spec, and that an MOU would include owner acknowledgments about easements and maintenance.

Several commissioners stressed that a limited pilot section made the proposal feasible: "What it gives us the opportunity is to try it, see what it costs us... and then going forward," the landowner said, describing plans to recruit additional neighbors and businesses to help if the pilot succeeds. Staff suggested returning a draft MOU and right‑of‑way permit to the commission for review; timing discussed included a potential spring start for the small section, with larger widening efforts deferred until legal and liability questions were resolved.

What happens next: staff and the landowner will work on an MOU/right‑of‑way permit referencing KDOT standards and county specifications; the county attorney and road‑and‑bridge staff will review insurance, easement and compaction/testing language before the work begins. If the parties agree, the commission may revisit the item for formal authorization.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A by Keith Graham and county staff during the Brown County commission meeting.