~courtesy of GreeneCountyNewsOnline
Greene County engineer Wade Weiss reported to the county supervisors Oct. 21 that the Safety Action Plan meeting the previous Friday didn’t draw many attendees, but that there was “a very nice conversation.”
Weiss said he learned that morning the county is in “good shape” when it comes to engineering to improve safety. He said centerline rumble strips and edge line rumble strips are a hot topic now, along with wider shoulders, but the county has already done much of the recommended work. One section of county roadway remains that is only 18-ft wide, a section of County Road E-53, the former Lincoln Highway, west of Grand Junction. The speed limit there is only 45 mph. Weiss intends to leave the road at the narrower width as a nod to the historic road.
He said rumble strips ahead of stop signs were done in the early 1990s, and chevrons on curves have already been placed, including reflective strips on sign posts. He mentioned the “sawmill curve” on E-53 between Q and S Avenues west of Grand Junction, saying that the wider roadway and the chevrons indicating the curve have greatly reduced the number of motorists entering the ditch there.
Weiss said that although edge line rumble strips are recommended, those who live nearby don’t like the noise they create. He also said edge line striping is recommended on all roads. “That would be nice,” Weiss said.
Currently edge lines are striped on curves, at railroad tracks, “and where we have problems with snow and ice.” He said the striping is done every two years, and it has cost $110,000 each year. He’s looking for better pricing.
“For right now, I don’t know whether we’re going to be striping every road at the edge line,” Weiss said.
Highway Safety and Transportation Safety funds are available for some of the needed work, he added.
Weiss reported construction of the new Grimmell Rd bridge is going well, calling the project “a good one for someone to watch.”
Regarding the courthouse HVAC project, Weiss said Holly Elbert of BBS Engineers said the design fees for the project will increase $30,500 due to adding a new roof to the project. He said the roof has been tested and there’s no asbestos, which he called “good news.” The not-to-exceed fee for design is now $217,918.
The schedule for the project is also extended by a month. The contract will be awarded in March.
The consensus of the board was to proceed with the project, not to wait until after the Nov. 5 general election.
Ryan Bervin of Assured Partners presented information and costs for the county’s health benefits renewal for 2025. With many pages of tables and charts, Berven said he the county’s insurance cost will decrease of 2.5 – 5 percent. The savings comes as a result of the average age of county employees being younger, decreased use of the pharmaceutical benefit, and virtually all claims are by in-network providers.
Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins said the cost savings will be shared with employees via less payroll deduction for their share of the payment, and that the county will save approximately $50,000.
During the open forum Chris Henning updated the board on the Iowa Utilities Commission’s Docket HLP 2024-0004, Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed carbon dioxide pipeline from Grand Junction to Coon Rapids. Safety meetings were scheduled for landowners during the week.
She urged the supervisors “to be ready with anything we can do to continue to oppose this pipeline.
She shared a map of watersheds in Greene County, overlayed with drainage districts and the roads and parcels in the pipeline route.
“I’m hoping that the investigation (county attorney) Thomas (Laehn) into what can be done, what can be objected to, how the county can be involved will bear fruit soon so we can move forward with more objection or more actions,” Henning said. ‘I want us all to be aware of what it is we can do.”
