As residents living east of Wheeler Road, and also as delivery personnel, business owners, and service providers, we would like to submit a written request that serious and prompt action be made concerning the repair, repaving and necessary grading to many of our surrounding roads, Kleck Road being one of particular interest, but also including Bartlett Road, Randolph Road (which is currently still inaccessible for local traffic as a result of the Natural Gasline Explosion in August), Wheeler Road, Steele Road, and Fast Track Road. Many of the roads in our area are in very poor condition; they are, in fact, so poor that many of the residents have turned to driving down farmers' ditch/field roads or SCIP and Hohokam Irrigation Roads to avoid the hazardous conditions of the City of Coolidge's maintained roads.

At the present time the number of potholes present on Kleck Road is innumerable (please see photos) and persistent traffic, which has increased due to a road closure in the area, is only causing more damage, not only to the roads, but to any equipment, including vehicles, city school busses, tractors, trailers and other machinery traveling across the road. This in turn is costing not only the City, local and state law enforcement and emergency services, but also small business owners and residents money on costly preventable repairs caused by the jarring road surface. Damage has included, but not limited to, tire integrity especially in sidewall cuts, blowouts, suspension wear, door function, body panel and interior trim tightness, wire breakages and misplacement of sensors and other electronic devices, tracking and alignment issues, exhaust hanger failure, loose bolts and screws, and overall strain on all equipment. Additionally, in an attempt to avoid the potholes, drivers are forced to drive off-road near the bar-ditch or in the oncoming lane of traffic. This presents a whole additional set of hazards in its own. Drivers needing to avoid the holes may potentially lose control and cause a wreck, which may not only result harm or death of themselves, but residents, passengers or other drivers near-by. Likewise, equipment failure, such as a blowout or exhaust hanger breakage could easily start a fire. The plethora of obstacles also makes it difficult for delivery drivers to keep packages upright and undamaged. 

It is our understanding that funds have been allocated to repave Kleck Road, and a vote to approve using those funds to complete the project has been scheduled to be on the agenda for the next Council meeting. Due to the extremely poor condition of Kleck Road we ask that the Council votes to take urgent action to fix the road. Ripping out the existing chip-seal and going back to dirt would be better than the road that currently exists, and it would also decrease the amount of damage done to equipment and related hazards to residents and drivers using the surface. Repaving the road(s), as long as the pavement is done in a professional and proper manner, would be the best solution to the current issues we are facing. In addition to this, we ask that these roads be maintained and monitored on a regular basis to prevent further damage and also that the current standards of road repairs being made currently is re-evaluated. We believe the photos will show that the maintenance of these roads has been subpar at best, if not practically non-existent.

Of the other roads aforementioned, the southern end of Steele Road is very close to being in the same current condition as Kleck, and being that the residents in our area have only a few ways out to Highway 287, one of which, Randolph, is currently blockaded, means that it is even more vital that the roads that do grant access to the 287 are maintained and repaired to high standards. That being the case, we would like to see Steele Road and Wheeler Road repaved. In the instance of Bartlett and Fast Track roads, which are currently dirt/gravel, we would like to see regular maintenance being done to prevent dangerous washboarding, washouts, and in the instance of rain, poor drainage resulting in mud bogs.

These hazards are not in any way an isolated issue. This level of neglect and poor quality of repairs/maintenance affects many other city roads. Nor is the damage and hazards inflicted by these roads a secluded issue, it is an issue for all city and county equipment, local and state law enforcement, emergency services, residents, small business owners, service providers and delivery drivers not only on an occasional instance, but on an everyday encounter. We would like to see our tax dollars which were appropriated to this project be used in a timely manner as we are in dire need of safe public roads and means of transportation. We would like for the Members of the Board and the Mayor to take a drive down to our neighborhood on Wheeler Road themselves to see/feel how imperative it is that these repairs are made for the safety of the community and for the financial security not only of the residents, but also the City.