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Home My WebLink About980582.tiff res f‘e, .6-et-;.%o WELD COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PHONE: (970) 356-4000, EXT. 4391 FAX: (970) 352-0242 915 TENTH STREET P.O. BOX 1948 inipC. March 12, 1998 GREELEY, COLORADO 80632 COLORADO R. Bruce Fickel, II P.O. Box S Berthoud, CO 80513 RE: Henry and Walter Zimmerman Dear Bruce: This letter is in response to your telephone call of Monday, March 9, 1998, regarding a question raised by Henry and Walter Zimmerman regarding the right-of-way on the east side of Weld County Road ("WCR") 15, proceeding south from U.S. Highway 34 to WCR 56. The Weld County Department of Public Works is currently working on centering the traveled portion of the roadway within the right-of-way. The centering work will move the maintained road to the east. The road will appear to encroach into Section 17, Township 5 North, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., Weld County, Colorado. It is my understanding that the Zimmermans own most or all of Section 17. The Zimmermans apparently believe that they own a portion of the Weld County road right- of-way for WCR 15 through abandonment by the County. Specifically, the Zimmermans think that because the traveled portion of the roadway has been located on the western side of the right-of-way,they have acquired the undisturbed portion of the right-of-way through abandonment (and accompanying adverse possession). The Zimmermans have farmed that portion of the right-of-way for years, and in their way of thinking, they have acquired the property because Weld County has never objected to their farming practices. The subject stretch of the WCR 15 right-of-way within Section 17-5-67 was obtained by Weld County by virtue of the County's acceptance of R.S. 2447 through the approval of a "Road Petition," dated January 10, 1884, and recorded in Book 48, Page 9 in the office of the Weld County Clerk and Recorder. A copy of that document is enclosed. There is no evidence in the Clerk to the Board of County Commissioner files that any part of the subject stretch of WCR 15 has ever been vacated by the Board. As you are aware, once a right-of-way is acquired by a county government, a portion of it is not abandoned through nonuse. See, Raftopoulos v. Farrow, 691 P.2d 1160 (Colo. App. 1984) (Roads and rights-of-way for road purposes declared to be public highways pursuant to statutory dedication proceedings remain public unless and until vacated or abandoned by some appropriate action of the board of county commissioners.); Board of County i �"''j Q ((ji 980582 GJ IC I R. Bruce Fickel, II March 12, 1998 Page 2. Commissioners of Mesa County v. Wilcox, 35 Colo. App. 215, 533 P.2d 50 (1975) (Where a right-of-way of specified width has been dedicated to public use pursuant to legislative authority, it is not required that the entire width be at all times put to public use in order to preserve the unused portion from being lost from the dedication.); Crane v. Beck, 133 Colo. 325, 295 P.2d 222 (1956) (Property owners whose predecessors in title had properly dedicated land to highway purposes could not claim title by adverse possession, even if they had occupied an unused portion of the land and paid taxes thereon.); and Uhl v. McEndaffer, 123 Colo. 69, 225 P.2d 839 (1950) (Abandonment of public highways will not ordinarily be implied from mere nonuse, where the public need has not required the use thereof.). The right-of-way in this instance, although not previously used by the County for the maintained and traveled road, is still owned by Weld County and can be used for road purposes now and in the future, until such time as it is officially vacated by the Board of County Commissioners. Please feel free to call me at (970) 356-4000, ext. 4390, if you should have any questions or comments regarding this letter. Sincerely, Bruce T. Barker Weld County Attorney BTB/db:Let/Fickel pc: Dave Becker Clerk to the Board s �-- 4444. t Book�,w ro:J �pPMopp _ .. - Rec:orded i.n 48 - - Page 9 • `'�' 'tkl3Ah-01x204- - Deg,,n„r•xi.•aa,A,w..rltAealusite +' s,almel COIN• CI _ :: :P�I'TI.O . '.4444• •.Y' •Y{. ' ,. :. ,: '' To.the'Aanor4ble d;oo County Commisaionero,of Weld County, Colorado. :w.a 111,4iikiatergilltell,Cit na of your fir,coop,eetfolly.. , t that she neerseittes of the paalte require a county realm road to be laid otitAfAlmaftowith.CoLmme>loing � - [ . - .--.. -----l��7 t ) f —/—y �1/� ___— --_ -:. .Alma ' ... rci¢rT"...,tplt.'2:t�Gc•' �Zlt?{•A+.e4... .� !!eipc/►td.'�0{�� o.�..1[rcc roc. 24.a.gp1%p/ .?1tPn i s.CiLr�t.to sat:r.r r ' .rtst. . • s.,a',.f1ra s.� .//..��/�))) �p,�rctru..i t' o Er;lee- 2r4'Y n2 9 -arw1l 4. Z-le r_(0�, <vea�'Qszk t ec. - � . '.JG�G4/ e-Yt.��AQ. {.?Yfi a>?.(... OT_b-�'�'�-e ot-e 11.. ETs Lt,- �9 -'/774/f 1� 51.4,../4" � :Cn,.:.c L;/..r ^�dxGie.asu::g..Y.,. dltt<cs Cf� J67[4Jr a zr/kZ�tiLt arri;Caesre,ea w urZc�o•e. 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We therefore petit%on your honorable body to cause to be laid out and opened a Gbuntyy road as above described,and we,the owners of the land through which said road is sought tabs laid out,in consideration of the sum of ono dollar to us each and severally in hand paid by the said County of Weld,the receipt of which Is hereby acknowledged,and of the laying out and opening of said road,hereby agree to give the right of way through our lands as shown by the plat accompanying this petition,and relinquish all claims for damage by reason thereof. The said proposed line of road is 'more fully shown by the following map or plat to which reference is herein made,the same being in TOWNSHIP i NORTH RANGE ¢-7 WEST - --4444-- __. _._._._.,..... . . 4444.. 88 81. _ 1. .,... -3$ ... - 33 (; 3# t 35 36 31 i i I i • I1 . ..-. . ......6-: - - 5 _ . ..4. . . .. ... . 3 3 1 6 _. .1$ ... . 7......._._. .. .,8 9 . 10 11 12 7 • i • ' . • - ---44_44.__ _ • 16 18 14 13 15 •% t:P. 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K. •-__,..--.-,,.�.�_ _ ...�9awrwos. --,� I Sao. A. Ems. -..¢ . . !1 ¢ ca s-4-r- .11.C nc .� . // c cP/ .a•/ 0 j .. ,�jj77 /�j! f�s �/ 1 U�s et!o �!G'vi�cs :-z Ql'wa./ �,{`('/�i '4 • /9 I �- ;6, t--457....4CPC4 ii _..-., t�t 11r•�• ..= •`�,_.�[f.. in':l..t:.... .. • .. .. e .Ttac.�• !lt�. .f r , • • tiied in the office of the County C terb Y_.F:C'..x..LLx_. —.ti Y -__... [18f3 . ejs'4 ttiill:et.r. - ,County Cierk, By-_--_._.__.__-------------____------______•Deputy. Prossnted to the'.Board of County Commissioners, arxz_ca�r.4 Y .18.?L,when the following action was tabooed entered of recant in the the mtnutat of their p noc eed3 ,it wti: ._ -- , lil a !u 7►!�. 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