?Invisible? 911 signs concern officials

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

Mt. Pleasant Fire Chief Stewart Kinney is concerned that an ambulance may be urgently needed and unable to find a rural residence.

That?s because many rural 911 signs are either missing or damaged, Kinney told the Henry County supervisors Tuesday morning.

?A lot of them (signs) are hanging down from the post or you can?t read them. Some aren?t there at all,? Kinney informed the board. ?I am more concerned about the ambulance (being able to reach the correct destination) than us.?

Joe Buffington, county director of planning and zoning, also visited with the supervisors about the problem. Buffington said a county ordinance says it is the property owner?s responsibility to maintain the sign. The signs cost $65 including installation. The county has nearly 7,000 rural residences that need signage.

Kinney said some signs are obscured from view. ?A lot of them have weeds and brush growing up around them and the weeds aren?t being mowed. When you are in a hurry, you don?t want to have to search for signs.?

County officials noted that in some cases property owners may live out of state and renters of the property may not be aware that a sign is needed.

Kinney and Buffington discussed possible methods with the supervisors in alerting residents that a sign is needed or needs repair. ?We need to get the word out to people who have damaged or missing signs to contact us,? Kinney said.

Replacement signs are available from the county. Those residents needing a sign should contact Buffington.

Supervisor Greg Moeller suggested a mass mailing to county residents.

Supervisor Chairman Marc Lindeen agreed but said recommended changes should come from the E-911 board.

Lindeen and Buffington said they would contact the board to discuss the issue at the board?s April meeting. ?We will get their thoughts and see what their recommendations are,? Buffington stated.

Supervisors approved the hiring of Bryce Achen, an engineering student at Iowa State University and a native of Wayland, as the summer intern in the county engineer?s office. Achen will be paid $11.00 per hour.

?Typically, we try to hire one (intern) during the summer,? County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss said. ?I think it is great to hire somebody local and bring them back for the summer.?

The intern, always an engineering student, works between two and three months during the summer, Hotchkiss noted.

During the next several weeks, there will be deck work on two county bridges, Hotchkiss told the board. Deck patching will occur on the bridge on Lexington Avenue over the Skunk River, just north of county road J20, and also on Racine Avenue going into Geode State Park.

?With the chance of rain this week, it looks like they will be coming in next week (to patch the bridge on Lexington Avenue),? the engineer said. The work will take two to three days and there will be signage directing traffic. The deck on the Racine Avenue bridge will be repaired after the Lexington Avenue bridge and repair work will take about a day.

Secondary-roads employees, last week, hauled spot rock to various locations; completed crack filling on county road X23; cold patched roads in various locations; installed a new entrance on 115th street; and worked on a culvert outlet on Lexington Avenue near 300th Street.

Moeller reported on the recent meeting of the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC). He said the board was told that an upper-story rehabilitation project, which includes four apartments has begun in Mt. Pleasant and is due to be finished by July 1.

SEIRPC is also working with four homeowners in Wayland, who want to participate in the owner-occupied house rehabilitation program, Moeller noted.

Supervisors meet again in regular session Thursday, March 30, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.