Engineer checks some projects off his to-do list

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

The sunshine and warm weather has been a welcomed sight for most who have been itching to do something fun in the sun, but for Henry County engineer, Jake Hotchkiss and his crews, the sunshine means work can commence on the double.

So far this week, the Henry County Engineer?s Office has seen several projects come off the to-do list, and Hotchkiss was sure to bring them up during Tuesday?s Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The county has completed painting centerlines and edge lines for this year, according to Hotchkiss, as well as some patching on roads north of New London.

?We did do some asphalt patchwork on 170th Street and Racine Avenue, north of New London, which is now totally completed,? said Hotchkiss. ?We had some pretty good sized dips on the road in that area, so we had Bates Asphalt repair some of that.?

Hotchkiss said he plans to make similar improvements to other roads around the county as needed, and as equipment and finances are available.

Also coming along nicely, said Hotchkiss, is the W55/Franklin Avenue project. Currently, that roadway is closed to thru traffic, however the contractor is finishing work on the granular shoulders.

The Marsh Avenue Bridge is one project that is still very much ongoing. According to Hotchkiss, the road top is currently being worked on and the guardrail will hopefully follow very soon, if all goes as planned.

Unfortunately, not all projects have been having the same successful timelines this summer. One of the county?s most troublesome projects, the 320th Street riverbank stabilization project, has been put on hold once again due to high water levels.

?Although the contractor was hopeful to start work and moved in equipment on Thursday of last week, the river came back up after last week?s rains. So now, we are back to waiting for it to go down again,? said Hotchkiss.

Besides an update from Hotchkiss, the Henry County Board of Supervisors also entertained a presentation from CAROSH Compliance Solutions regarding HIPAA compliance.

Recently, the board has been considering ways the county could strengthen its HIPAA regulation and compliance, and is actively seeking companies like CAROSH to help in this regard.

While nothing was officially agreed upon or voted on during Tuesday?s meeting, the board did request an estimate from CAROSH as to the cost and company?s terms of service, should the county decided to take action on the matter at a later time.

The next Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on Thursday, Aug. 6, at 9 a.m. All meetings are held at the Henry County Courthouse and are open to the public.