Sign of the times

Signs have begun sprouting up in the West County that say “Tired of potholes?”  They are the work of a group called Save Our Sonoma Roads that is seeking to improve the condition of the county roads.

The county estimates it would take $105 million to keep the roads in proper repair but it has received just $5 million from the state. County supervisors designated 16 percent of Sonoma County’s roads as priority and most of the money they have available is to go to them leaving the remaining 84 percent to continue to deteriorate. The outcry has been loud and supervisors have held several hearings on the road situation.

The head of the road department, Phil Demery, has been directed to come before the Board of Supervisors in April with a new road plan.

Save Our Sonoma Roads is holding a road “summit” Wednesday, Mar. 7 at 5:00 p.m. at Sally Tomatoes Restaurant in Rohnert Park. Phil Demery is scheduled to speak to the group then.

Susan Upchurch of Supervisor Efren Carillo’s office said, “Maybe they can come up with a solution.”

In the meantime Save Our Sonoma Roads encourages residents to write their supervisors about the roads in their neighborhood,  join the group, hang signs on the roads they drive, and start an online forum for their neighborhoods at the site www.sosroads.org