Commissioners looked at various options for hauling gravel for this year. There are quarries in Stanberry, Bedford, and Bethany but all three would involve more trucking costs than Ravenwood since trips would be longer. Road and Bridge Foreman Jim Fletchall said that he had a rough idea of how the county could haul their own gravel if it came down to it; he said that one possibility might involve pulling one person off the crew and use the Mack and one other truck to do it. They would have to figure in extra fuel costs for the county as well as any extra labor as well as possible breakdowns and tire repair costs.
Commissioner Gabbert said that one factor influencing the county’s decision would involve the quality of the rock. Commissioner Ruckman said that the problem last time was that they only got one bid last time; Gabbert said that if there were more than one and the bids were similar, they could choose the best deal for the county. Commissioners will send out bid forms to the various gravel quarries in the region and then open up bids on the 22nd of February; the 21st is a holiday. After the quarries do their bids, the county would then bid out the truckers, as they would then know where the gravel was coming from. Ruckman said that they wanted to haul locally if possible because they would be more familiar with the local roads and what they needed.
Tye Parsons of the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments met with commissioners to discuss various issues. The Department of Economic Development has $5 million left over from flood money that they will send out to the various regions for flood mitigation purposes. The region is applying for a grant for this purpose; Nodaway County is taking the lead on this and commissioners voted to lend their support. Work would involve mapping and identifying potential hazards such as water lines and other critical infrastructure.
Commissioners talked about various bridge projects. Gabbert said that the Cook Bridge was high on the county’s list of needs because of continued erosion problems every time it rains and astronomical costs to bring equipment in to lift it up three feet so that it would not back up waters. The beams stick into the channel and it would cost the county $30,000 just for four heavy duty cranes to come in. In addition, the approach needs to be built up. Parsons said that he would check into availability of funds for that project.
The Village of Denver qualifies for a USDA 75%-25% project for equipment rather than the 50-50 that the rest of the cities and the county have. Commissioners raised the possibility that the county could partner with the village for equipment that they both needed; Parsons said that he would figure out if that was feasible.
Regarding the county’s approach to funding, Gabbert said that the county’s goal would be to get on top of funding opportunities so that that they would not be left trying to beat last-minute deadlines in order to get needed money.
The area Transportation Advisory Committees are splitting projects into maintenance work and safety assessment, which involves stuff that is beyond normal maintenance. The Route W West Fork Bridge could be high on the list of ongoing safety concerns; Commissioner Findley said that it had gotten to the point where farmers were not feeling comfortable hauling cattle across it.
Fletchall reported that he had checked out the Don King Bridge and that a ten foot tube would work. He reported that crews had been up all night getting snow off the roads during the recent snowstorm. One of the graders got a dead battery and then got a flat tire; fortunately, the spare tire had just been fixed.
There will no commission meeting on February 14th because Clerk Roberta Owens will be gone to training; commissioners rescheduled that meeting for the 10th at 2:00 p.m. The meeting after that will be held on February 22nd because of the holiday on the 21st.
Emergency Management Director Pat Kobbe said she would see what she could find out about turning in a Hazard Mitigation Plan for the proposed bridge linking up E, F, and K. She said that previous Clerk Lisa Hargrave had tried to turn one in but had been turned down.
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