Engineer says street project nearly completed

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

Jake Hotchkiss, Henry County engineer, was the sole presenter during Tuesday?s Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Despite the light agenda, Hotchkiss did have a few things to discuss. First on his weekly report was an update on the project on 150th Street, east of Highway 218. According to Hotchkiss, most of the grading is complete and it is projected that work should be totally done by Thursday or Friday of this week.

?I think everything looks good there,? Hotchkiss said. ?We will be doing some dormant seeding and mulching on Thursday and Friday so that when things warm up in the spring, grass and foliage will be ready to go.?

Also in the last stages of work is the county equipment storage building. Hotchkiss reported that punch-list items are almost complete and payment for the project will be made once the contractor on the project declares that all work is finished.

In addition, Hotchkiss reported that there is one project that can be officially registered as complete. A crossroad pipe on Henry-Lee Road, east of Benton Avenue was successfully replaced on Tuesday. There have been no reported issues with it since its installment.

The Henry County Engineer?s Office underwent some training recently. First aid classes, hearing tests and other various safety training courses were completed last Wednesday and Thursday.

?Our staff went through four-hour first aid and CPR training as well as hearing tests on Thursday morning. We had our staff go to training in shifts so that we could continue to get some work done. This training is important and we want to be sure that we keep up to date on all of that,? Hotchkiss said.

Looking ahead, Hotchkiss said that his workers are already starting to prepare for winter and have begun winterizing their equipment. Hotchkiss also announced that he plans to meet with Salem City Council on Wednesday night to review construction plans pertaining to a proposed paving project there.

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