Thomas (road department staff) updated the board on multiple road department items: design work for Lakeview West and Lakeview paving, completion of Airport Road with striping to follow, lidar support for Burma Road design, four new hires who have accepted pending urine analyses, ongoing mowing with both tractors, graveling, and use of the Sod Buster at Northwest of Brule.

Thomas said the final Lakeview paving agreement was still being completed and the notice that had been sent to the newspaper was pulled because the agreement was not ready; the legal notice will be republished when the agreement is final. He reported the department is handling 12 to 13 open NERMA claims lately, including workers’ compensation and vehicle damage, and said he was training Kayla to handle future claims.

On staffing, Thomas said four people have accepted offers and were expected to start in the next couple of weeks pending drug tests. He also praised Kayla for organizing records, moving older files to deep storage and cleaning office space.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the Lakeview schedule and the contract timeline; Thomas said final warranty walk-throughs remain outstanding for some projects and that striping will be scheduled after paving is complete.

Ending

Thomas’ update closed with the board thanking staff; no formal action was taken during the update.