Road maintenance back on agenda for county commission
Staff reporter
Policies related to county road maintenance and improvements were discussed Monday by Marion County Commission.
Commissioner Dan Holub suggested contractors be hired to haul rock for county roads.
He also suggested stock piles of road rock be placed in various locations to save time for county truck drivers driving to and from rock quarries, and waiting in line at the quarries for a load.
Commissioner Randy Dallke asked acting road and bridge superintendent Jim Herzet the problems that might occur as a result of having various locations of rock piles.
Herzet said there would need to be a loader and an operator to put the rock in dump trucks for hauling. He also had a concern with rock being stolen.
The commission asked if truck drivers were trained to operate a loader. Herzet said they were.
Currently the county has three loaders. One loader is in poor condition and not useable for loading rock, Herzet said.
The commission discussed possible locations near Roxbury, Goessel, and Peabody for road rock to be stored. Dallke said county rock trucks could haul within a 10-mile radius of the rock pile to the roads in need of rock.
Herzet will check into costs for contract haulers and rock pile locations.
In other road and bridge business:
— Holub instructed Herzet to provide a cost estimate to rock an alternate route east of Ramona.
Currently train traffic blocks the main south entrance into Ramona for extended periods of time.
Holub said he was concerned about emergency vehicles being able to get in and out of Ramona in a timely manner.
— The commission discussed upcoming road projects.
Herzet said he wanted the work for chip and sealed roads to be contracted.
Dallke noted there were 60 miles of roads overlaid in 2000 that were paid through a bond. County clerk Carol Maggard reported the bond will be paid in October 2007.
The commission noted their concern regarding the closing Monday of U.S.-77 for road construction.
Dallke suggested county sheriff Lee Becker attend Monday's meeting and discuss enforcement issues on county roads.
Dallke also said he would like Lakeshore Drive at Marion County Park & Lake to be overlaid with blacktop in 2007. Upland Road, formerly Airport Road, is scheduled for resurfacing this summer.
Herzet was instructed to sufficiently patch and seal 170th until U.S.-77 is completed in September 2006.
County roads were patched in three days last summer, Herzet said. Road and bridge personnel are patching large holes in the center of roads first, he added.
— Herzet requested and received a 10-minute executive session to discuss personnel.
The meeting reconvened with the commission approving Herzet for a week's vacation April 4-8, and the county paying Herzet for 60 hours which is the remainder of his vacation time.
Herzet's vacation time had to be used or carried over to the next work year prior to his anniversary date to avoid losing the time.
— The commission approved a road crossing permit for Range Oil Company on 230th between Chisholm Trail and Diamond.
