County engineer views bids for riverbank stabilization project

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

Henry County engineer, Jake Hotchkiss, opened bids for a riverbank stabilization project during the Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, and the lowest apparent price has tentatively been chosen.

Five contracting companies placed bids for the project on 320th Street near Lowell, the lowest being Seaton Construction, based out of Deep River. Seaton?s bid price was $130,247, which was well below Hotchkiss? final estimate price of $143,303.

?The county will be paying approximately 25 percent of the cost for this project, while the other 75 percent of the cost is going to be covered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),? said Hotchkiss.

Once Hotchkiss finalizes all the appropriate billing paperwork, the project will commence.

Hotchkiss also moved to appoint a new assistant maintenance supervisor to his team. After looking at four separate candidates, Jerad Syfert was chosen to fill the position. Syfert was working as an equipment operator prior to his new appointment.

In addition, Hotchkiss also announced that the Henry County Engineer?s Office is now accepting applications for an equipment operator. Applications are currently available at the Henry County Engineer?s Office and on the Henry County website at www.henrycountyiowa.us.

Besides approving new staff appointments and projects, Hotchkiss also updated the supervisors on the miscellaneous work being done by his crews throughout the county.

At the top of the list, Hotchkiss updated the board on the Marsh Avenue bridge construction work.

?All the piling are in the ground and we hope to be pouring the abutments later in the week,? said Hotchkiss. ?It will be several weeks before we pour the deck, but the project is moving forward quite well.?

Hotchkiss also gave a quick update on contract rock hauling, and said some roads are holding up better than others. For now, crews will be slowing down the rate of hauling so as to give roads a chance to heal.

All contract rock hauling should be complete within the next three to four weeks.

Last, the supervisors approved two permits from Hotchkiss. One was for a self-applied dust control permit, while the other was for work in a right-of-way on Iowa Avenue, north of Mt. Pleasant.