New London man hired for secondary-roads job

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

Spring has sprung and the Henry County Engineer?s Office is transitioning into the season with an eye toward summer construction projects.

The progression into spring included the hiring of Todd Christe, of New London, as an operator I for the county shed in Salem. Christe will begin work April 24 and be paid $18.21 per hour.

?He was a very strong candidate,? Jake Hotchkiss, Henry County engineer, told the Henry County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. ?He has a lot of construction experience, and I think he will be an ideal person for the position.?

Hotchkiss said the candidate field for the position was stocked with quality applicants.

The Winfield Avenue/220th Street paving project is slated to begin May 1, the engineer said. He received that word Monday in a pre-construction meeting with Jones Contracting, the general contractor for the project.

In preparation for the project, Hotchkiss will have a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Henry County Emergency Management Building for landowners/businesses impacted by the construction to go over construction plans and a schedule of events.

?We?ve done this the last three years on paving projects,? Hotchkiss said. ?I think it helps people know how the construction will proceed. Our staff is ready to begin staking and doing other things to get ready for the project.?

In other construction news, the engineer said the deck patching has been completed on two county bridges.

Other maintenance by the secondary-roads department last week included cold patching on county paved roads and a few asphalt roads; seeding operations; installing cross-road pipe on Quaker, Benton and Hickory avenues; boring tile across 220th Street with help from the city; and working on a small ditching project on Ash Avenue.

Supervisors meet again Thursday at 9 a.m. in the courthouse.