The county made its final payout for the Worth Bridge Project this week. The county is in the hole with BRO funds, meaning that it will be a while before the county can use the program again. The Missouri Department of Transportation is proposing a program in which resources of five different counties will be pooled, which they say would help avoid situations like Worth County's, in which the county had to wait 19 years before they could get sufficient funds to reopen the Worth Bridge. Funds would be administered by the current Transportation Advisory Committee, which would have the final say as far as funding is concerned. The state is getting pressure from the Federal Government to spend funds allocated to the program; it is a case of use it or lose it. The downside would be a loss of sovereignty for the county as well as the possibility that the TAC would rely excessively on traffic count, which would favor the other four counties in the group. Overall, the county is in good shape on bridges compared to other counties; for instance, there are still plenty of wooden bridges in Gentry County.
The courthouse will be closed during several upcoming holidays. The courthouse will be closed on November 12th for Veterans Day, November 22nd and 23rd for Thanksgiving, December 25th for Christmas, and January 1st for New Year's Day. The county commission is tentatively scheduled to meet on December 24th and December 31st, which fall on a Monday this year.
The state is in the process of mapping area watersheds for insurance purposes.
Economic Developer Tammy Ueligger reported that the county can buy a demo or a used chipper with grant funds. The county is in the process of getting a wood chipper through a grant. She also reported that she is doing a "Buy Local" campaign for the upcoming Holiday Season.
The county agreed to honor a cost-sharing deal with David Hunt made one year ago for Goldenrod avenue for a quarter mile stretch of the road.
Road & Bridge Foreman Jim Fletchall reported that the new grader will be here Wednesday. The county will then have a full compliment of graders. Fletchall said that he wanted roads graded one more time before winter set in. The county is in the process of hiring a new member of the Road & Bridge Crew. The county is in the process of taking inventory on tubes to see what is no longer needed so that they can bid it out. The Kanak Bridge on Road #247 had the approach washing out while Old 169 was starting to get muddy again after rains although it was in much better shape than before. A road by Margurite Campbell's had a drainage issue. Rock is in the process of being hauled to the Conservation roads as part of the agreement with the county and the Conservation Department.
The county agreed to pay $6,000 out of the Road & Bridge Fund for the purchase of the Sheriff's 2006 Chevy. The county also voted to pay off the MAC Truck and the Excavator with Flood and Ice money.
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