Wright City officials say they won't execute a quitclaim deed transferring ownership of Stuerman Road until a stretch that is almost impassable is upgraded to city specifications. The board of aldermen, during last Thursday's meeting, insisted it can't spend money on property it doesn't own per state statute when questioned by residents who want to see the road improved. Mayor Roy White read a letter from city attorney Leslie Rogers-Tolliver, who was absent from the meeting, stating that the county had yet to forward correspondence on how it would proceed. "I don't see us doing it (the quitclaim deed) until the road is up to city standards," White said. At a meeting Feb. 11, county commissioners stated they were open to making minor improvements to Stuerman Road contingent on the city filing and recording the quitclaim deed. Since last Thursday's aldermanic meeting, the city received a letter dated Feb. 24 from the commission stating the county would excavate the sunken portion of Stuerman Road and pack it with gravel within 20 days of receipt of the quitclaim deed. Stuerman Road serves as the lone entrance from Highway H into the Falcon Crest and Timber Trails subdivisions in the southwest part of the city. The road is only about 12 feet wide for the first half-mile stretch and is not aligned with the remainder of a wider portion closer to the subdivisions' entrances. Stuerman Road has become nearly impassable on one side due to buckling pavement. When learning of the city's position on the quitclaim deed, Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage reiterated it needs to be in place before the county will begin any work. He also continued to question the city's past stance when officials approached the county to take over the road and prepared a quitclaim deed only to not record it at that time. "They agreed in their own (meeting) minutes to take it over," Engelage said. "They came to us. They wouldn't have done it unless there wasn't an agreement. It was a done deal and then it stopped." As to when the road will be fixed remains to be seen, adding to the frustration of residents and builders in the two subdivisions. During last week's meeting, resident Matt Kaatman offered to donate $300 to help fix the road, while builder Robert Bruner said he would supply a truck and Bobcat if the gravel was provided. "I really think it's the city's responsibility," Kaatman said. "If you're not going to do it and nobody is gong to do it, I guess somebody has to step up to bat." Prior to the property being annexed into the city, Stuerman Road was a narrow gravel road that was rarely used. PR Development purchased the land several years ago and developed the lots. The company indicated it was going to maintain and relocate the road, but failed to do so. Since that time, PR Development is believed to have filed for bankruptcy and is no longer around, according to city officials. The city also failed to collect escrow money that could have been used after the company failed to complete the work. According to county commission minutes from March 20, 2006, a public hearing was held and the commission voted to deed Stuerman Road over to the city. Several city officials attended, including former Mayor Eileen Klocke and Public Works Director Larry Janish. At the hearing, city and county officials agreed that Stuerman Road would remain open once a new access to the subdivisions was built and relocated on top of a hill south of its present location, due to safety concerns raised by MoDOT. According to city minutes from Oct. 27, 2005, aldermen agreed to accept Stuerman Road from the county. However, since a vote was not recorded, White contends that a verbal agreement is not legally binding. Referring to a city meeting held March 13, 2008, White said it's his belief that the city wanted no part of accepting Stuerman Road. Schuchmann said any progress ended a couple of years ago when supporters to fix Stuerman Road backed out due to the "bad publicity being generated" because of the controversy. White has previously stated one of his highlights as mayor was stopping "the building of Stuerman Lane." "I am going to work very hard on getting this resolved," Schuchmann said. "Just like I was two years ago, I think the board has heard very loudly on what the people have said. I think the majority of this board wants to get this issue resolved." Schuchmann continues to favor a Neighborhood Improvement tax he proposed when it was first learned the developer had abandoned the project. The tax would be assessed to each of the lots in the two subdivisions. It's estimated to take 15 to 20 years to generate enough funds to fix the road. When White said the city doesn't accepts streets until the standards are met, Ken McLaughlin quickly responded that was not true. McLaughlin, who owns property to the north of Stuerman Road, pointed out Roelker Road was accepted prior to it meeting city specifications. Until a permanent plan can be reached, property owners off Stuerman Road want to see some progress made. They threatened legal action if a compromise can't be reached. "I was really hoping for some type of cooperation from the city," Kaatman said. "I think the residents have some reasonable type of expectations that the city is going to help them out on stuff. You guys are doing nothing. You haven't done a single thing."