Supervisors address residents? concerns on low-water crossing

Residents asked more questions about rural roads and deficient bridges at today?s Jefferson County Board of Supervisors meeting, and the board agreed with a plan to expand the hospital parking lot.

?I had a farmer call during the week, concerned about the statement of embargoing 185th Street,? said supervisor Dick Reed. ?That was expressed as just a possible option. Placing an embargo on a road takes something seriously wrong, it was only one of three options, and I?m pretty sure we?re not using that one.?

Reed also said the pony truss bridge announced as closing at last week?s meeting is on Umber Avenue. A mistaken road name was in the July 9 Ledger story.

At today?s meeting, a resident asked about Juniper Avenue becoming a farm-to-market road. He described it as being busy with traffic, especially with business at the quarry.

Supervisor Lee Dimmitt checked, and Juniper Avenue is already a farm-to-market road.

Resident Jason Hull wanted more information about the closing of the bridge at Umber Avenue and 268th Street.

?I?ve talked with four to five residents there who are concerned about needing to drive six miles around when the bridge closes,? said Hull. ?There?s a low-water crossing that?s partially on Joseph Gibbs? private property and partially on county property. Four residents live on the west side of the bridge and need to access land on the east side.?

Supervisor chairman Steve Burgmeier said a new low-water crossing should be made at the same location as the bridge.

?There?s no choice,? agreed Reed. ?We have to close the bridge. But we also have to figure out how to do the low-water crossing.?

Hull said the area residents? concern was maintaining access.

?That low-water crossing already there is only good for tractors, but probably not even tractors if you?re hauling something,? said Hull.

Jefferson County Engineer Scott Cline said it would take some time to get cost estimates for options.

?We know we have to close the bridge, however we don?t know the timing to remove the bridge and offer another solution,? said Cline.

In his weekly report to supervisors, Cline said temporary repairs are being made on 185th Street.

Dimmitt said the county road crew would like to meet with all three supervisors and Cline at 7:30 a.m. Friday regarding seal coating.

Melanie Carlson, engineer at French-Reneker-Associates Inc. showed an aerial view of Jefferson County Health Center and where the hospital intends to add 53 parking spaces south of the hospital.

?As you probably know, the hospital already plans to expand, building north of the clinics and that will take up some of the current parking area,? said Carlson. ?There are several easements across the property to the south. The county has a 125-foot easement for the trails. The parking lot would be built on that easement, but we?re not moving or bothering the trail. and we?re adding two trees.?

Nobody was sure who had a copy of the easement or if it was formalized in writing, but Reed said it didn?t look like an issue to pave a parking lot there.

Dave Umland, an engineer from the Iowa Army National Guard, brought drawings of a proposed new access to the National Guard maintenance shop at. 505 W. Carpenter Ave.

?We?ve talked about this in the past, and we?re wanting another access for our bigger vehicles,? he said. ?Carpenter Avenue is quite small and turning larger vehicles into that drive to get to the maintenance shop is difficult.

?We like the entrance off Stone Avenue, where we could come in from the west, and enter the county property. We?d place a gate enough feet back from the road so a large truck can pull in and be completely off Stone Avenue. Only the county and the Guard would have a key to the gate.?

Umland said the Guard didn?t know when funds would be appropriated for the project, but it was the intention to get the details worked out so when the funds were available, work could go ahead. He said the Guard would have its Judge Advocate General lawyers draw up a 20-year lease between Jefferson County and the National Guard. The Guard would incur all expenses for building the driveway, putting up fencing and the gate. No money would be exchanged for the lease.

?It looks like a plus to us,? said Reed. ?The county land there is mostly for storage.?

An owner of Porter Farms along 250th Street, at the former county home site, said Burgmeier, presented his plan to build an 18,000-gallon tank on the property to store anhydrous amonia.

?It?s already approved by the state, it?s in excess of the distance to neighbors requirement,? he said. ?It will be for our own use, not a retail business.?

Burgmeier asked about security and a management plan. The tank will be fenced, and there is a management plan.

?And you?re here because the Environmental Protection Agency requires you to enter it into public records,? said Reed.

In other business, the supervisors approved the resolution to hire Nicole DeOrnellas as a correctional officer to fill a vacancy.

During committee reports, Dimmitt said the 10-15 Regional Transit Agency has proposed a sponsored shuttle for residents to get rides to Fairfield Hy-Vee Food and Drug Store and Walmart.

?Local Walmart manager and others think it?s an excellent idea, but corporate said no,? he said. ?Hy-Vee has agreed to sponsor six hours, one day a week for shuttle service to its store.?

The service has not been set up yet, but the shuttle would offer on-demand transportation for residents of Fairfield and Maharishi Vedic City to Hy-Vee at no charge to the passengers. Hy-Vee?s sponsorship will cover the costs. Passengers would call in advance to schedule an appointment for a ride.