The County has begun the process of looking into a Missouri DOT Grant for the inside of the square. Proposed upgrades would include retainer walls and a five foot sidewalk that runs around the outer edge of the Courtyard. Randy Hall of Snyder and Associates attended the County Commission Meeting Monday to guide commissioners through the process. He said that the DOT might look favorably on such a grant proposal if the city Downtown Renovation Project, which is being paid for by a federal appropriation, goes smoothly without problems. "Entities like that could get grants again and again," said Hall.
West Commissioner Dennis Gabbert said that the commission wished to do it in two phases, starting with the north and west sides and possibly the south side if it were cost-effective. Should it only be feasible to do two at a time, commissioners decided to go with the north and west sides first. The east side would be saved for last as East Commissioner Rob Ruckman said that he believed that it would be the most expensive to do. Curbs and gutters would be part of the project; County Clerk Lisa Hargrave said that the project would revolve long-standing drainage issues along the north side. Among other things the commissioners wanted for the project was to put up ornamental lighting that would match the city's portion of the project, separate metered outlets in order to have community events along the square, and walls that complimented the appearance of the Courthouse.
All of the corners and the whole route would have to be ADA compliant. Hargrave noted that the south staircase would have to be redone and possibly the east staircase. The maximum award amount for the project would be $248,000, of which the county would match at least $48,000. If the county were to put up more, it would be more likely to get the grant. The county can use in-kind labor as part of their match; possible in-kind work could include excavation and hauling of dirt, removal of any trees, and concrete removal.
Kevin Harding of the City of Allendale came to the meeting to inquire about county help for a tube needed in Allendale. The county is in the process of seeing if they can get it through FEMA funds. The county would put it in whether FEMA approved it or not. Commissioner Gabbert said that the county should know something before too long. Harding also reported that the City of Allendale had also approved becoming a part of the proposed Enhanced Enterprise Zone that the county is seeking to attract more businesses. Sheridan and Grant City are also on board.
Jim Fletchall inquired whether the road by Mike Troutwine's, county road #35, had gotten gravel under the Special Rock fund; Clerk Lisa Hargrave reported that under the program, it is to get 88 tons of gravel. It is both a mail and school bus route. Fletchall said that some of it was in good shape, but that other parts of it were pretty bad and that it needed ditching and buildup work. He said conditions on that road were really bad because of ice conditions. Records produced by Hargrave showed that it was one of the first roads served; gravel was delivered from June 30th to July 14th.
Commissioner Ruckman reported that Friday's rains, which came to almost three inches in some places, washed a lot of gravel off of roads.
Emergency Management Director Pat Kobbe reported that FEMA had requested additional documentation for the Nation Bridge; the county is in the process of getting that documentation.
Kobbe reported that 20 people had attended the after-action meeting regarding the Square Fire Thursday. Grant City Fire Chief Ben Fletcher did a power point presenation on the fire discussing what was done well and what could have done better. He has already given this presenation for the Creston Fire Department. Everyone at the meeting wanted the incident command trailer to be up and running, and Fletcher requested three phones and two scanners for the trailer as well as spare batteries for radio chargers to ensure better communication. Improved communication was seen as in need of improvement; for instance, Hargrave noted that the excavator was a big help in putting out the fire and that it was important to locate it promptly. Another idea put forth was that of a sheriff's posse, which paricipants felt would have been perfect for such a scenario. Hargrave said that another thing that needed to be addressed was determining who could be on the scene during such an emergency and who couldn't be; HazMat was in the process of coming up with a plan.
Russell Burns reported on the maintenance needs of the county equipment. He reported that three batteries were down Monday morning. He reported that there were minor transmission fluid leaks on the grader that he operates and that the crews were dealing with really muddy conditions in light of Friday's rains. For instance, he said that he had to get the bulldozer to pull out other equipment which got stuck in the mud one time. He said that there were several mechanical issues that needed to be addressed over the winter regarding the equipment.
Commissioner Ruckman reported that there was a lot of interest in the CART program. Sign-up deadline for the program is November 19th. Sheridan presented their Patron invoice; the county matched 65% of Sheridan's contribution this year. Commissioners said that they felt that in the future, they should match Sheridan at 75% like everyone else. Sheridan is hauling their own gravel, which will allow them to put it where they want to and when.
Commissioners did the second reading of the Enhanced Enterprise Zone bill.
County Clerk Lisa Hargrave reported that she had found a cleaning agency which will work with the claims adjustor to determine smoke damage from the fire to the Courthouse. They will take a look at the Courthouse, including problem areas such as Judge Miller's chambers as well as the Extension Office. Hargrave also reported a problem with the heater of the Sheriff's office, which either has to be all the way on or all the way off.
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