The Worth County Commission pondered the purchase of a surplus loader and caterpillar from the State Surplus after checking with a mechanic for potential problems. The loader had a high particle count, which meant that it could have sat around a lot while the caterpillar had high levels of silicone and dirt. The blade on the caterpillar showed a lot of wear, meaning that the county might need to buy a new blade if they were to go with the purchase. Road and Bridge foreman Jim Fletchall said that he wanted to get prices on a new blade before they purchased the caterpillar. The loader would need extensive brake work as neither the parking nor the regular brakes worked during testing; that could easily cost $3,000 in labor costs. The water pumps leaked on both of them. The asking price for the loader was between $12,000 and $14,000 while the dozer was asking around $10,000. One of the strengths of the loader was the high lift capacity; it had the capacity to lift over 21,000 pounds, which Fletchall says that the county needs more of.
There are proposals in the legislature to implement early voting. County Clerk Roberta Owens reported that many other clerks had raised a lot of questions about the cost to implement such a measure. It has not been acted on in the legislature.
Owens reported that S&V Consultants have never gotten back with new specifications for the flagpole. The original flagpole and support had been engineered to withstand the kind of winds that the area gets, but the flag snapped off in high winds in December. Commissioner Dennis Gabbert said that they had never communicated with the county in "any way, shape, or form" regarding new specifications.
At 2:00, the county had a conference call with SEMA regarding disaster relief for the county. On February 3rd, the President declared the entire state a disaster area because of the recent snowstorm. Fletchall has filled out papers on snow removal around the area. Total estimate for disaster costs for the county were around $25,000; this includes the county and the city. A water main break on the square in Grant City north of the Courthouse triggered a boil advisory; Commissioner Rob Ruckman said it would be a good idea to include it in the application.
Emergency Management Director Pat Kobbe provided information to the county on applying for hazard mitigation funding for projects like the Cook Bridge. Smith Township does not qualify for Low to Medium Income Standards for the Community Development Block Grant Program, meaning that the county would have to do an income survey for the township in order to see if they qualify. Allen Township in Worth County along with the towns of Denver, Sheridan, and Parnell all qualify according to an item in the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments bulletin.
Kobbe reported that Linda Pollan had 4-5 cages that could be used in the event of an emergency for pets.
There were many positive comments regarding the county's rapid response to the storm and getting the snow removed quickly despite mechanical problems with some of the equipment. The back window out of one of the graders was busted while Fletchall said he believed that the variable horsepower feature on another grader was not working properly and that Caterpillar was going to come and take a look at it.
The county decided to go with Ameristean to clean up the smoke damage to the Courthouse from the fire in Grant City last fall. Owens and commissioners said that they were the only company who had offered to clean the carpets. Work will involve cleaning the carpeting, wiping down the surfaces, cleaning out the extension and judge's offices, and fogging. They would also evaluate the outside. The company will meet with the insurance adjustors to determine the price.
Fletchall and commissioners discussed getting snow wings for the graders, which Fletchall says would make the snow removal process go faster and would mean less wear and tear on the graders. Commissioners said that they would need to come up with money out of the budget for it; the problem is that with the current weather situation, most places don't have any due to the high demand. Commissioner Gabbert said that if the county could find a good deal for some that the commissioner would consider it.
Chris Spainhower met with commissioners to discuss reopening a quarter mile of a road that had been abandoned near Routes J and Z and putting a tube in, which Spainhower said that a previous commission had agreed to do. It had been abandoned but had never been officially closed. It used to go straight through from Route 46 to J. There had been a bridge on that road which had been out for 30 years. Fletchall and commissioners will look at the road and see what needs to be done.
No comments:
Post a Comment