Washington supervisors discuss upcoming road projects

WASHINGTON - The Washington County Board of Supervisors took more action on county roads when it met in regular session Tuesday, Aug. 27. Supervisors present included Abe Miller, Jack Seward Jr., Stan Stoops, and Bob Yoder.

County Engineer Jacob Thorius recommended approval of an agreement between landowners John and Jenna Greiner and the county to upgrade and rock a portion of 285th Street from Ivy west about a quarter of a mile with 100 percent of the cost to be paid by the Greiners. 'This is no different from a project being funded by a grant,” Thorius said.

The project calls for 285th Street to be upgraded to a Class A road by the county because of a new residence the Greiners are building at the end of the road. The cost of the project is estimated to be $55,000 with the final cost to be determined once the project is completed. It will be paid by the Greiners in one installment once the project is complete.

The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2020 but the contract does not guarantee any completion date. The supervisors also voted to establish that September 9 at 9 a.m. in the County Engineer's office is the time and place for the due date for quotes for grading and surfacing on the project.

The supervisors approved the low bid of $264,898.62 submitted by Midwest Contractors, Inc. for a pavement patching projects on various roads in the county.

The board went into executive session to discuss 'strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent.” When the executive session ended, the board took no action on whatever was discussed. However, an item listed on the agenda marked 'Discussion and possible action regarding Iowa Court of Appeals decision for FBMB v. Board of Supervisors” was not taken up during the meeting.

Supervisor Stoops added an item to the agenda to discuss hazardous materials being taken to the Wemiga Waste Systems site by residents of the city of Washington. Washington City Manager Brent Hinson was on hand to discuss the matter and said the city has an exclusive contract with SEMCO which is located at Wemiga and there is no other place to direct its residents. He suggested there should be conversations between the city, county and Wemiga to work out a solution that benefits all users.