Barns complains to Commissioners about condition of Shady Lane in Forest Hills subdivision

Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 3:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

Joseph Barns from Shady Lane Drive in the Forest Hills Estate at U.S. 31 and 11^th Road appeared before the County Commissioners on Monday to complain about the condition of

A resident of the rural subdivision for 18 years, Barns is an avid cyclist and used to own a bike shop in Culver. After losing weight, he decided to get back on a bike and ride in the neighborhood.

He told the commissioner the southern portion of Shady Lane Southern Land “is in terrible shape.” He said many spots are pure gravel, and pavement is crumbling.

Speaking with neighbors, he found out the subdivision has been in existence for 33 years, and the last time any real paving was done, other than patching, was 10 years ago. Barns said, “The road is what I consider to be in bad shape.”

Riding a bike on the southern end of Shady Lane is impossible due to the condition of the road surface. Barns said several neighbors won’t even walk on the road because of the rough condition.

Joseph Barns asked the County Commissioners to investigate the condition of Shady Lane for some type of remediation of the road.

Commissioner Stan Klotz asked Mr. Barns to call him later and said, “I need to talk to you about that.” Barns agreed to call the commissioner.