Board passes first reading of road, bridge ordinance

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Henry County supervisors, under a mandate from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are crafting a new map on the construction and reconstruction of county roads and bridges.

Supervisors passed the first reading on the proposed ordinance Tuesday.

?FEMA is requiring every county to have an ordinance on the construction and reconstruction of roadways and bridges,? explained Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss. ?We are linking it to the DOT?s (Department of Transportation) criteria for minimum standards.?

Some of the major standards in the ordinance include:

? Minimum bridge width will be 30 feet for farm-to-market and class A roads and 24 feet for class B or class C roads.

? The minimum roadway top will be 24 feet wide.

? New granular surfacing will be applied at minimum a rate of 1,800 tons per mile (approximately four inches deep). This may be applied in two applications not more than one year apart.

? Ditch depth will be a minimum of three feet.

? The typical minimum right of way will be 50 feet from centerline on each side for paved roads and 33 feet from centerline on each side for non-paved roads.

In his weekly report, Hotchkiss said construction crews are ?getting closer and closer to the end of the W55/Franklin Avenue project.? He said crews are doing the sidewalks and intakes in Salem and hopes that the road will be open either late this week or early next week.

Supervisors also approved construction plans for the 220th Street (Winfield Avenue) reconstruction project. The six-mile project will encompass the area from east of the Highway 218 overpass on Winfield Avenue to Racine Avenue. Bid letting is slated for December with construction to begin in the spring of 2016.

The engineer noted that work has begun again on the 320th Street river bank stabilization project.

Continuing on his weekly report, Hotchkiss said secondary road crews spent last week blading gravel roads, cold patching on county roads, clearing brush on Benton Avenue and mowing shoulders on paved roads.

Moving to subcommittee reports, Greg Moeller attended a recent Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC) meeting. Moeller said the commission?s revolving loan fund made seven loans, totaling $649,500, to five businesses.

The Great River Housing Trust Fund, Moeller said, is applying for $285,000 in state and federal funds the next fiscal year. The fund has received $71,000 in local matching funds (a 25-percent local match is required) from cities and the four counties (Henry, Lee, Des Moines and Louisa) benefitting from the trust fund. Several weeks ago, Henry County contributed $10,000 to the local match.

In final action, Dora Bentler from the Henry County Sheriff?s Office, received county approval for two grant submissions. The sheriff?s office is seeking a $32,500 traffic safety grant for traffic enforcement, educational materials and overtime compensation for deputies.

The other grant is the tobacco enforcement grant. Through the grant, the sheriff?s office receives $50 per business in ?sting? operations of tobacco sales to minors. Bentler said around 20 businesses will be checked.

Supervisors meet again on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.