A meeting is planned next week to discuss the complicated options for Crawford Road, a private and potholed lane that provides the only access for the growing business park at the South Whidbey Airpark.

Island County officials are holding the community outreach meeting for the South Whidbey Industrial Park Road at 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 20 at the Bayview Fire Station at 5579 Bayview Road.

County officials are currently in the “options development and information gathering stage,” with a goal of providing safe public access to the light-industrial-zoned portion of Crawford Road, the county reported. Staff members will be available to discuss project proposals, gather input and answer questions.

Deciding what to do about the road has been a head-scratcher for county officials for many years. According to a Record story, county officials held a remarkably similar community meeting in 2007 that drew a big crowd, but plans to resolve the issues apparently went nowhere.

The private road provides access to the airport, business park and a small community of residents. At the south end of the road is a dicey intersection with Highway 525 that has been the site of crashes. The north end is gravel, full of potholes and expensive for the community to maintain.

Some residents have asked the county to take over the road, but county code prevents that unless the road already conforms to county standards — which would be cost prohibitive for residents. The county is also looking at building a new section of road between the highway and the airpark.