Seeking solutions to Highway A’s poor conditions, Hardin residents and a local county representative made their way to Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) last week. Locals Stan Utley and David Minnick, along with Ray County Presiding Commissioner Billy Gaines, met with Ron Achelpohl, MARC Director of Transportation and Environment and Martin Rivarola, assistant director of Transportation and Land Use. Also in attendance were Congressman Sam Graves’ Senior Field Representative Buffy Smith and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Engineer Ben McCabe. Utley stated Highway A conditions were “deplorable” and “dangerous.” He shared information gathered from the Missouri State Highway Patrol regarding vehicle accidents on Highway A, noting State Highway Patrol has responded to at least 12 calls over the past 18 months. He also cited county data of 152 calls on Route A in that same time frame, since Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers took office. “We discussed three different…