After years of wrangling, Wright City has agreed to take over ownership of Stuermann Road. Aldermen last week authorized Mayor David Heiliger to sign an agreement between the city and the county once a few minor details are ironed out. As part of the agreement, the county has agreed to make minor improvements to the road, with the city also to perform work of its own to improve the road’s condition. City officials also said a quitclaim deed has been prepared and is waiting to be transferred by the county to the city. Through the years, the road’s condition has worsened as the city and county have both taken the stance that the other entity has ownership rights. The much-debated issue has angered property owners and builders who packed meetings at city hall and expressed disappointment that the only road that leads into the Falcon Crest and Timber Trails subdivisions continued to fall into disrepair. Heiliger set a April 1 deadline to receive proposals on how to provide a permanent solution to fixing Stuermann Road after being frustrated over the lack of progress. He then indicated at the next board of aldermen meeting April 14 the city was moving in the direction of taking over ownership of the road. “The board and I are very happy to finally get this situation to a positive point,” Heiliger said. Stuermann Road serves as the lone entrance from Highway H into the two subdivisions in the southwest part of the city. The road is only about 12 feet wide for the first three-tenths of a mile and is not aligned with the remainder of the wide portion closer to the subdivisions’ entrances. There are approximately 250 lots in the two subdivisions combined. Many believed Stuermann Road to be a county road until the time a quitclaim deed was prepared in 2006. A public hearing was held at which time the county commission voted to deed the road over to the city. Several city officials were in attendance. The quitclaim deed was prepared, but was voted down by Wright City aldermen at that time. A title search conducted late last year to determine ownership came up empty. The county commission said they were pleased to see a solution reached. “It gives Wright City an opportunity to do what they need to do with it and clarifies who owns the road,” Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson added: “It’s good the residents can hold someone responsible for the road. It’s been a difficult situation.” Despite safety concerns, Stuermann Road will continue to remain in its current location until the adjoining piece of property to the south develops and then it will likely be recommended the road be relocated. MoDOT recently erected a flashing sign alerting northbound traffic about motorists exiting and entering onto Highway M to raise awareness about the intersection. When the two subdivisions were developed several years ago PR Development, the company which developed the property, indicated it was going to maintain and relocate Stuermann Road to the south on top of a hill crest. However, the company did not follow through on that plan and since then filed for bankruptcy. The city also failed to collect escrow money that could have been used on the road after the company failed to complete the work as promised. Though it had been discussed in previous meetings, the city won’t need to establish a Neighborhood Improvement District (NID), which would have assessed a special tax to each property in the two subdivisions to generate funds to help pay for the road improvements. City officials acknowledged the pending agreement is likely the best-case scenario in resolving the ownership dispute. “It’s a shame we couldn’t have reached this point years ago to come to this conclusion,” Alderman Jim Schuchmann said. “I’m tickled to death that we’ve finally reached this point.” One matter that continues to linger is related to building permits. Heiliger said the city will continue to not issue building permits for both subdivisions until further progress is made on the road improvements.