The Johnson County Secondary Road Department is moving ahead with the long-awaited vacation of an unused roadway in the southwest part of the county.

A number of property owners have asked that a portion of 530th Street between Hazelwood Avenue and Sharon Center Road be vacated by the county and sent back to the landowners. The area is located north of Kalona and east of Highway 1.

As it turns out, the request actually dates back about 40 years. Greg Parker, county engineer, told the Board of Supervisors at its work session on September 22 that a similar request appeared in front of the Board of Supervisors in the late 1970s or early 1980s, but was not completed for an unknown reason.

The new request was signed by six or seven property owners, Parker said.

The affected road path is 4,175.5 feet long and begins at Hazelwood Avenue SW and goes east. The dead-end road turns into a field and it has not been maintained by the county for years, Parker told the board. The portion of 530th Street east of the cutoff will continue to be maintained by the county, he said.

“It’s been de facto vacated already,” said Supervisor Jon Green, a resident of Lone Tree. “Even with the signage at the west terminus of 530th, it does just look like a field entrance. I don’t even believe it’s signed as 530th. Coming on to it from Sharon Center Road from the east, there is a sign indicating it is a dead end.”

The board instructed Parker to move ahead with a process that could conclude with the road being vacated by the county.

What’s next, Parker said, would be a series of public hearings after meeting with the county attorney.

In his weekly update to the board about COVID-19, Sam Jarvis, Community Health Division Manager, Johnson County Public Health, said the county is seeing about 50 to 60 new cases each day. Many of the new cases are showing up in those 22 years and older, Jarvis said.

As of September 26, there were 390 active cases in Johnson County with a positivity rate of 7.93%. Case numbers are at their highest since early 2021. Washington County had 147 cases, as of Saturday, with a positivity rate of 18.51%. All counties in Iowa are in the high-risk category, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The board set October 14 as the date for a public hearing on upcoming property zoning and platting applications.

At its formal meeting on September 23, the board issued proclamations on Voter Registration Month and Preparedness Month.