Conservation director: Bridgeport access contract awarded; county to review climbing policy and Prairie Creek trail progress

Nathan Jones, Jackson County conservation director, told the board Tuesday that four bids were received for a Bridgeport river access project, with bids coming in under the engineer's estimate; the county selected In Line Excavating and will determine whether to cover the remaining cost from the department's reserve fund or seek a budget amendment.

"Bids came in as good or better than I expected," Jones said. He told supervisors the department included several value‑engineering changes that lowered the contractor's price by about $15,000 from the original bid estimate. Jones said a signed contract had not been completed at the time of the meeting but staff were working with the selected contractor and hoped to start construction in the fall.

Jones spent the bulk of his presentation on a request from members of the Iowa Rock Climbers Coalition seeking permission to boulder (free‑climb without ropes) on county lands. Jones said the county's existing ordinance was written to address roped climbing and installations and does not clearly address the bouldering activity supervisors described as "free solo" with no ropes.

The board raised liability and species‑protection concerns. Jones said that his staff had observed climbers in highly protected areas and that the conservation department would prefer sites with better emergency access, such as Prairie Creek, if the activity is permitted. "Our biggest concern...is a liability issue as far as incidents happening," Jones told the board. He said the county's insurance requires specific signage at some permitted climbing locations and that the county attorney should be consulted to revise ordinance language and confirm any release or signage will provide legal protection.

Supervisors and conservation staff discussed options including relocation to better‑accessed sites, standardized signage at trailheads, release forms for organized groups, and potential limits on where bouldering is allowed to protect rare or sensitive species. Jones said several other counties have addressed similar issues through ordinance language and formal signage; he recommended consulting the county attorney and the county's insurer before making policy changes.

On other conservation business, Jones said pilings for the Prairie Creek bridge had been installed and the 90‑foot bridge structure was expected to arrive on Friday; trail work and additional rock armoring had progressed and officials anticipated a near‑term completion of the trail. The department has also been seeding the disc‑golf course and plans a project kickoff in October with a formal ribbon cutting next spring.

Supervisors asked Jones to consult the county attorney and insurance provider, then return with recommended ordinance language and a proposed signage/release approach for board consideration. There were no votes on policy changes at the meeting.