Absentee ballots will be available soon for election

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

Absentee ballots for the Aug. 1 bond referendum election on a new county law enforcement center/jail complex should be ready soon, Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber said at Tuesday?s county supervisor meeting.

?We have all of the information and the ballots should be ready either the last week of June (June 26-30) or the first week of July,? Barber said. Polls will be open on Aug. 1 from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. for the election, she added.

Barber?s remarks came before the supervisors passed a resolution supporting the construction of a new law enforcement complex. The committee promoting the bond issue (Citizens Organized for Public Safety or COPS) asked the supervisors to pass such a resolution.

Mike Hampton, co-chair of COPS, said voter turnout will be the biggest key in the election. ?We have to do everything we can to get people out to vote. That will be our biggest thrust.

?I think it?s important that you (supervisors) lead the charge and pass a resolution in support of the project,? Hampton continued. ?You guys will be asked a lot of questions.?

Hampton noted that only 2,177 voted on a similar referendum in 2006, an election that received 58 percent approval, but 2 percent short of the 60 percent super majority needed.

Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss opened construction bids on new county maintenance sheds in Wayland and Winfield. Two Washington firms ? Greiner Buildings, Inc., and W-3 Construction bid on the buildings. W-3 Construction had the low bid at $264,816 for both buildings. Greiner Buildings had submitted an asking of $272,000 for the two sheds.

Hotchkiss said the estimate on the project was $270,000. W-3 Construction also submitted an alternate bid for better lighting in the sheds. W-3?s bid was $897 for the lighting in both buildings.

Hotchkiss seemed a little disappointed that no local contractors bid on the project. ?It (whether a bid is submitted) depends on schedules. We just couldn?t get it done (attract local bidders). We solicited bids from several area contractors. I do think we received good competitive bids.?

In his weekly report, Hotchkiss also said that work on Winfield Avenue is progressing, although not as quickly as he would like. ?Hopefully, next week is the final grading so pavement can be poured at the end of next week. We had a meeting this week with the contractor to try and push him along a little more quickly.? The project is divided into three phases and currently the contractor is still on the first phase.

Hotchkiss said maintenance crews have completed construction on 310th Street and Marsh Avenue where a ?Y? intersection was turned into a ?T? intersection. The engineering department also started painting pavement Monday on edge lines of roads.

Other work by the secondary-roads department last week included placing calcium chloride on White Oak Road north of old Highway 34; spraying noxious weeds; continuing the mowing operation; and working on signs.

Supervisors meet again in regular session Thursday at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.