County approves utility permits and a resurfacing reimbursement agreement with Monmouth

Jackson County public-works staff presented two utility permits and a joint resurfacing agreement at the March 18 advisers meeting; the board approved both permits and authorized the chair and auditor to sign the resurfacing agreement with the City of Monmouth.

Jaden Shekel described the first permit as Maquoketa Valley's plan to install underground fiber and three-phase power at 150 Fifth Avenue and 150 Ninth Street. The installation will run parallel to a gravel road and in the right of way on 150 Ninth Street; county staff agreed to allow installation in the road shoulder where rock outcroppings make ditch installation impractical. County permit conditions discussed include coordination with county reclamation work this summer, a specified minimum depth where applicable (discussed as 36 inches in the meeting), and a requirement that installers re-rock the trench (presenter referenced supplying six inches of rock at top of trench for road areas). The permit passed on voice vote (motion by Nin, second by Mike).

A second permit from the same cooperative covered replacing aerial fiber on existing poles along D55 (near 320th Street and 290 Sixth Avenue). That overhead replacement was approved by motion (mover Mike, second Nin).

Separately, the board approved a joint agreement with the City of Monmouth covering HMA resurfacing on Division Street. The county will pay the contractor and the city will reimburse the county for work outside the travel lanes (on-street parking and curb areas). Jaden Shekel gave the city's reimbursement amount as $28,481.68; the full project total discussed in packet was roughly $171,000 with the county's share around $140,000. The agreement requires the city to inspect and provide written notice (or conduct its own inspection) within 10 days of receiving completion notice before reimbursement is due; the county moved to approve, and the board passed the motion (mover Nin, second Mike).

Staff also reported on utility coordination tied to upcoming bridge work. The county has identified a fiber conduit attached to a bridge on 200 Sixteenth Avenue that will need relocation before bridge replacement; county staff said they have notified utilities and the relocation should be coordinated with the bridge contractor. Another bridge approach project (Morehead Bridge) was discussed with a tentative start of April 7 for approach work that may close the road for roughly two weeks while the concrete approach is removed and replaced; staff cautioned dates could change.

Why it matters: the permits and the agreement bind the county to specific inspection, trenching and coordination requirements and set reimbursement and inspection timelines for the city's portion of the work. Staff emphasized scheduling the utility installations either before or after county reclamation work to avoid rework.