HERMANN — Gasconade County administrators thought they had the problems resolved two weeks ago regarding damage to private property stemming from utility work along Danz Road. Apparently, based on the latest round of comments from residents of the area, they were wrong.

Wendy Turnbough and JoAnn Juedemann, both Danz Road residents who earlier voiced complaints to the County Commission about the fiber-optic cable project along their road, returned last week to repeat their concerns: Damage caused by contractors working for Fidelity has not been repaired.

What began as a contentious exchange — “If you have a problem with anything we’re doing, consult your attorney. I’m done with that,” said Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte — settled into a more reasoned conversation that wound up at the same place as an earlier meeting about the property damage: The property owners’ issue is with Fidelity, not county government.

“I have no idea of what you want us to do,” said Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville, during Thursday’s regular weekly session.

Turnbough said her effort to have a fence repaired and compensated for three lost head of cattle has drawn no formal response from Fidelity.

“Fidelity didn’t come” to repair the fence, she told the Commission. “If you come out and look, they didn’t come.”

She said she submitted the necessary documents with Fidelity in making a claim on the cows that escaped through the damaged fence.

“We sent all that to them last month,” she said. “No response whatsoever,” Turnbough added.

A concern for Danz Road residents is that it doesn’t take much for a utility to move off the roadway and onto private property, considering how narrow the road is in some places. Indeed, Lairmore said too-narrow roads can be found throughout the county.“There are a lot of roads in Gasconade County where the fence is on our right-of-way. But we’re not going to go out there and tell them they’ve got to move them,” he said.

According to state law, a county has a minimum of 30 feet of right-of-way. That’s 15 feet on either side from the center of the road. With a particularly narrow road, that means the right-of-way might extend beyond a fence.

Lairmore said the county will not be increasing the size of narrow roads such as Danz. “We’re not going to widen the road beyond our 30 feet,” Lairmore said. “But,” he added, “we’re going to maintain our 30 feet.”

The fiber-optic cable now seems to be buried within the right-of-way, Turnbough said. That apparently was the result of the on-site meeting recently of county officials and Fidelity and its contractor. Now, property owners are awaiting repair to their property.

“You’re saying they abused your property?” asked Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann.

“Yes,” replied Turnbough.

“Then Jerry’s right. It’s their responsibility” to make repairs, Holland said.