County campsites will remain open longer this year

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Although the camping season is grinding to a halt, there is still plenty happening in the county conservation department, John Pullis, director of the department, told the Henry County supervisors during the board?s regular meeting Tuesday.

Pullis said a new membrane roof would be placed on the maintenance building this week, a project that is expected to take three to five days.

The department also has purchased new highway signs and is working with the secondary roads department to erect the signs. ?The current signs were put up about 40 years ago,? Pullis noted. ?The current signs are on wooden posts, but the secondary roads department would like to attach them to steel posts, so we are working with them on doing that.?

He said that county campgrounds are generally open from April 15 to Oct. 15, but this year may be open a little longer.

?The nature center closed last weekend for the season,? Pullis reported. ?However, I looked at the weather and we may look to keep the campgrounds open a little longer this year.?

Pullis said naturalists Cari Nicely and Trent Hoekstra had presented 445 programs through September of this year. Those programs have attracted 10,604 people. That compares to 334 programs and 8,051 attendees through the first nine months of 2015.

?That (number of programs and attendance) indicates the need for environmental education. Cari and Trent are booked through next May. The programs they have presented have been well-received,? stated Pullis.

In other news from the conservation board?s monthly meeting Monday night, Pullis said he is looking at some refurbishing of the department?s handguns. He said the county sheriff?s department is looking at new handguns, but did not say he wanted new handguns for his department.

?I am not saying we are going to replace them because I am happy with them,? he began. ?However, at the very least we have to have the sights replaced. The guns are 10 years old.?

In his final item from Monday night?s meeting, he said that rental for shelter houses and electrical sites in the campgrounds will increase by $5 next season.

Tuesday?s supervisor meeting featured two reports as Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss gave his weekly report to the board.

Hotchkiss said he is beginning on right-of-way negotiations and the design for the final mile of the 220th Street/Winfield Avenue project, which will be a city-county project proceeding from the overpass westward to North Broadway Street. The project is slated for the summer of 2017.

?We?re waiting to get together (with the city) to see where the city and county fit on the project?We have to work out how much (money) the city is willing to put in and make it fair to both parties,? the engineer said.

The county?s portion of the road project will include eight-inch thick concrete and 25-foot wide pavement.

In other county projects, Hotchkiss noted that the grading subcontractor is working on the approaches to the Ash Avenue bridge replacement project and preparing to place rip-rap. A crew is also slated to be on site Friday to place the new guardrail.

Work began Monday on the Hickory and 140th Street culvert project. The section of Hickory Avenue where the bridge will be replaced by a culvert is closed, Hotchkiss said, and removal of the bridge will be later this week. Work on the removal of the bridge on 140th Street is slated to start soon.

The engineer also said new fuel pumps will be installed at the county shed. The current pumps were installed in 2005. In addition to the installation of two new pumps, new fuel software will be installed on computers. Hotchkiss said the pumps should be installed in approximately six weeks and will take a day to install.

Last week?s work by the secondary roads department included hauling resurfacing rock to the 150th Street project; mowing; patching a culvert joint on 235th Street; and installing gates at the Faulker?s access curve for the recently vacated section of road.

Supervisors will meet again in regular session tomorrow (Thurs.) at 9 a.m., in the courthouse.