Also set public hearing for sale of county-owned property
Work resurfacing County Road E-18 from County Road P-29 (“the Paton road”) east 2-1/8 miles will begin in August.
The county supervisors on Monday approved a contract with Fort Dodge Asphalt to do a hot mix asphalt overlay at a cost of $1,206,370. The bid was the only one received for the project and was $200,000 more than the pre-bid estimate. According to county engineer Wade Weiss, the project was estimated at $900,000 before adding one-eighth of a mile east of the bridge over Buttrick Creek.
The bridge is also being replaced. Work can’t begin on the bridge until after Aug. 1 because there are Topeka shiners in the creek. The first plan was to have the resurfacing completed before the bridge work, but delays have changed the schedule.
The road will be closed during the bridge project and the resurfacing. Weiss explained that closing the road (rather than leaving one lane open and using a pilot car to escort traffic) will result in a shorter, better project, and eliminate the cost of a pilot car. Weiss hopes the project is finished before harvest.
Weiss also shared a “wish list” of resurfacing projects he’d like to do if the supervisors allow the use of tax increment financing for roads. On his list are E-18 east of Paton, N-65 from E-53 north to the Greene/Calhoun county line, P-14 north of Churdan, and E-53 between Scranton and Jefferson.
Weiss said using TIF funds would allow the county “to cover up a lot of real problem areas and extend the life of those segments quite a bit and improve the road quality.”
In other business, the supervisors set a public hearing for July 16 at 9 am to sell three pieces of real estate. Those parcels are an empty lot adjacent to the Union Pacific railroad tracks on Stanton St in Scranton; a small parcel at 1207 Main St near the Landus facility in Scranton; and 104 Main St West in Grand Junction. The sale will be done by sealed bids.
