By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission approved an agreement to install a cattle guard at Horse Thief Canyon in northern Ellis County.

The Garvert Family Trust, owners of the property in far northern Ellis County, asked the county to pay for the cattle guard and the installation. In June, the commission agreed the county would provide the cattle guard, but the property owner would have to pick it up from the county shop and install it.

Horse Thief Canyon Road runs across the Garvert property, and they received federal funding for erosion control measures. According to County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes, they are going to use cross fencing to divide the pasture. That allows them to graze two different portions of the pasture at different times.

Ellis County Public Works crews built the cattle guard to their specifications and paid for the construction. The county will also be responsible for maintaining the cattle guard.

A “shoe fly” road will be constructed while the cattle guard is installed to allow traffic to continue using the road in that area.

Public Works Director Bill Ring estimated it would take about two weeks to install the cattle guard.

In other business Monday, the commission approved further repairs to a 2008 Caterpillar road grader. The commission had already approved engine repairs to the grader, but the county decided to have repairs done on the transmission while it was being worked on.

The commission was scheduled to get an update on large lot subdivisions within the “three-mile zone” surrounding the city of Hays but that update was rescheduled because the city commission did not meet last week.