Supervisors approve repairing bridge

Jefferson County Board of Supervisors approved today the lowest of three bids received for repairs to the bridge deck crossing Mitchell Creek on Brookville Road.

Supervisor Dick Reed was absent today, however supervisor chairman Lee Dimmitt and Becky Schmitz both approved County Engineer Scott Cline?s recommendation for Cramer and Associates Inc. with the low bid of $242,214.

?The three bids were not close in price to one another,? said Cline. ?Two were below the program amount of $300,000 our consultant had estimated. The consultant also said the low bid contractor is a good contractor.?

Cline said the bridge deck will be repaired and the bridge piers will be encased to extend the life of the bridge.

Cline reported the Secondary Roads Department has been cleaning ditches, mowing, spraying, grading, concrete patching, striping, sealing cracks, laid dust control on Walton Road and 155th Street and areas of the current detour for another repair project on Brookville Road.

?The dust proofing costs for Walton Road are shared by the city,? Cline said.

?I?ve met with the FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] representative about three times about the April 17 storm damages. We?ve visited the locations where repairs were made, FEMA has reviewed our documents, costs and receipts.?

Since the county was declared a federal disaster area for the April 17 storm, federal money will cover 75 percent of repair costs, the state pays 10 percent and local governments pay 15 percent. The repairs for this storm include laying a new waterline to Libertyville.

Dimmitt said he had a call from a resident about water erosion around a driveway culvert on Buckeye Avenue.

?I took a ride out Marigold Avenue, past 240th Street, and there?s a couple places where water has settled out and created deep ruts along the sides and made the sides of the road pretty soft,? said Dimmitt. ?The road itself seemed in pretty good shape.?

Dimmitt publicly thanked and complimented the roads crew for all the work done to prepare for RAGBRAI.

?I?m very impressed with all the work from volunteers, committees, the city and county crews and employees,? he said. ?The clean-up was handled well. Everyone from law enforcement to volunteers did an excellent job.?

Schmitz also said everyone involved with RAGBRAI made it a great experience for the community and the riders.

Ray Chambers, director of the county Veterans Affairs Commission and a resident of Packwood, said his community grossed $23,000 from RAGBRAI and Packwood vendors were sold out by 1:30 p.m. July 26.

?I heard First United Methodist Church [in Fairfield] sold 1,000 meals,? said audience member Jack Ritz.

In other business, supervisors today:

? Approved a salary resolution of $1,579.83 per pay period, effective July 15, for Steve Wemmie in the county assessor?s office.

?He has taken all the courses and is qualified to become an assessor,? said Dimmit. ?Sheri [Blough, county assessor] sent this in.?

? Approved a salary resolution of $1,823.96 for the pay period effective Aug. 1, for county emergency management director Jerry Calnon.

?Now that RAGBRAI is over, Greg [Morton, county sheriff] and I will be sitting down and talking with Jerry,? said Dimmitt.

Last month, the supervisors had discussed Calnon?s position and agreed to need a resolution for each pay period until further notice.

? Schmitz reported about attending an ambulance board meeting.

?We?re pleased with the progress with the city taking the issue through the city council?s Ways and Means Committee and it will be presented to the full city council,? she said about the idea of Fairfield contributing to the ambulance budget.

?The ambulance company also made a suggestion to amend the contract to take the county out of providing vehicles,? said Schmitz. ?That would certainly make it easier for the county to budget.?

An agreement is being worked on for Midwest Ambulance to use the same building the former ambulance association used as a base.

?I?m glad to hear there?s a potential for the city to help with expenses,? said Dimmitt.

? Dimmitt reported attending an Iowa Association of County Supervisors meeting in Ames and touring a research farm and dairy farm.

?Tomorrow is the vote in the county about residents in unincorporated areas supporting the new outdoor pool and new gym project,? said Dimmitt.

Voters can decide to divert 16 percent of the county?s 80 percent local option sales tax that goes toward property tax relief to the pool and gym project for 10 years or $1 million, whichever is reached first.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. A listing of polling places was published in Wednesday?s Ledger and is on the county website at www.jeffersoncountyiowa.com under the auditor?s office, election news.