Pieces of slate are falling off the Worth County Courthouse roof. Custodian Leonard Roush recovered one piece which he brought into the Monday County Commission meeting. New commissioner Chevy Davidson said that he went on to the roof and observed at least four shingles that were completely off. There was tar on the piece that was brought in for inspection, meaning that the workers had glued it together. Even if there are no leaks in the roof (there were none from the recent rains), it creates a public safety issue from pieces falling from the roof. Roush said that whether the roof leaked or not depended on which way the wind was blowing.
Former Commissioners Bill Mozingo and Bill Calhoon were brought in to give background on the ongoing situation with the roof. Mozingo said that the problem started when he was at a conference in St. Louis and got a call saying that the cupola was about to fall off. The Courthouse was evacuated and it was fixed; however, Mark Huck of Harrington Cortelyou, the people who did the cupola, noticed cracks in the southeast wall from water damage. The county got a $50,000 emergency grant to replace the guttering. S&V Consultants was brought on; that did not have to be bid out since it was an emergency situation. Mozingo said that the county subsequently discovered that some beams were bad. The county bought and replaced pipes and the cupola.
Following the emergency work done on the Courthouse, Mozingo said that the commissioners decided to replace the roof. S&V handled the bidding process for the roof and Industrial Roofing (Frazier Roofing) was deemed by S&V to be a qualified bidder for the project, along with all of the other contractors who bid on the project. The county then selected Industrial Roofing. The price tag was increased to cover increased costs and the county bought slate roofing for Industrial Roofing, who agreed to take it off the first paycheck from the county and the slate materials were Frazier's to keep.
Mozingo said that the county took out a below-prime interest loan from the DNR for $250,000 to cover the project. There is a clause that states that the county does not have to pay until the project is done. The interest rate is below the New York Prime Rate. There were two bonds set up; one is for performance on the part of the contractor, one is for payments. If the contractor were to back out, then the bonding company would have to pay for the whole project.
Commissioners made appointments to various regional boards. Presiding Commissioner Ted Findley will continue to serve on the Community Services Board and will serve on the Tri-County Health Board. Chevy Davidson will serve on the Transportation Advisory Committee and the Solid Waste Board. Economic Developer Tammy Ueligger and Reggie Nonneman were appointed to the Regional Council of Governments Board and the Regional Development Corporation Board.
Emergency Management Director is making plans to go to the National Weather Service Pleasant Hill office as part of her training to help the county become a Storm Ready County.
Treasurer Linda Brown reported that there was $145,000 in tax rock collected from last year. The county was $2,282 in the black last year, not including tax money collected late in the year.
Economic Developer Tammy Ueligger reported that she was collecting baskets for Great Northwest Days. She reported she was continuing to do preparations for the Allendale Business Form.
Judge Joel Miller reported that under a proposed mandate by the state, the county will have to switch to an electronic court system by 2014 or 2015 at an estimated cost of $5,000 to $6,000 for the county total. This includes equipment and modifications to the courtroom to accommodate the equipment. The court already has the ability to conduct TV hearings, which saves the county the expense of transporting prisoners to court for hearings.
The deadline for write-in filings is March 22nd for the April 2nd elections. The deadline to be on the ballot for municipal offices expired January 15th.
Sheriff Terry Sheddrick inquired about the 7% raise given by the previous commission to county road and bridge employees during their December 31st meeting. Commissioner Findley responded that the purpose was to make their salaries more competitive with other counties. Currently, Worth County officers are paid 65% of what the state recommends they should be paid. This year, all county officers and employees got a 3% across the board cost of living adjustment raise from what they got last year.
Road and Bridge Foreman Jim Fletchall reported that the transfer case went out on the county pickup. Cost would be $800 for a used one with 100,000 miles and $1300 rebuilt with a three year warranty. Labor would be extra. The truck also needs a tail shaft. The truck has an estimated 200,000 miles on it. The crews are working on equipment this week. Fletchall reported that the Sheridan to Parnell road had a quarter mile stretch that was full of mud. Commissioner Davidson said he would drive the road and inspect it.
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