Though they can’t celebrate yet, Friends of Gleeson Road will be happy to hear that Cochise County supervisors approved the inclusion of the historic dirt road in a $75 million stimulus funding application.

It will be the second application by the county for funding through the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program, but this one deals with dirt roads, said Karen Lamberton, county transportation director. She offered the news during a special supervisors’ meeting Thursday.

This application named Connecting Agricultural Transportation System deals with providing better access for ranchers and farmers to get their commodities to market, she said. Chip-sealed roads and drainage work will help the county’s agriculture community and provide better roads for residents and travelers.

Gleeson Road, for example, could be a major access road connecting Highway 80 in Tombstone with the Elfrida and Pearce/Sunsite community and area ranches and farms. Friends of Gleeson Road have been asking for improvements over the years to help the retiree population in that area along Highway 191 safely get to Sierra Vista and beyond. The road’s current state is one of wash boards, gullies and potholes making travel uncomfortable and hard on vehicles.

Another community that has been asking for county help was dropped from the list like a hot potato. High Knoll Road has been in the news the past few years as monsoon flooding destroyed the road, making travel nearly impossible during rains. The problem is High Knoll is not a county-maintained road. The cost is just prohibitive to secure rights of way, put in the necessary drainage control and maintain the road.

As Supervisor Richard Searle asked, “How do we tell people in our districts that we are going to spend money on this road when we have roads in need of work in the county-maintained system?”

Supervisor Ann English suggested the county staff look at other possible funding sources with High Knoll and other problematic roads.

Kings Road, another road not maintained by the county, was also bounced from the list as requested by the supervisors.

By dropping those two roads, supervisors had an additional $5 million to work with on the wish list for dirt roads, Lamberton said.

English questioned the suggested paving of the southern end of Central Highway. She pointed out that Brooks Road, where she lives, with a greater population would be more beneficial. Residents have worked together and have built up the road. It made more sense to work with a community that has already committed to road care, she said.

Supervisor Pat Call would have liked to see road improvements on Valley Road off Moson Road to provide a connector to Highway 92. Moson Road serves about 15,000 people daily, and rerouting people would save road maintenance.

Susan Buchan, stimulus fund grant director and interim director of county planning and zoning, said that remedy could come from other grant sources.

All three county supervisors asked staff members to include them in any future suggestions of road projects prior to asking for approval.

“It’s a long shot,” cautioned Mike Ortega, county administrator. “We may not get the grant.”