Supervisors hear construction update on jail project and Essex Bridge; temporary power and FAA permit slow some work

Page County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday heard a progress report on ongoing county construction projects, with contractors saying masonry and precast work is under way while crews wait on a temporary power pole and final FAA clearance for a permit.

The report matters because delay in precast deliveries or power hookups could slow critical work on floors and slabs in the jail area and on ancillary bridge tasks, county presenters said.

Jeff Curtis, a meeting presenter, told the board that masons were “hoping to get the first course on everything by the end of, hopefully, tomorrow” so plumbers and electricians could complete rough-ins and crews could prepare subbase rock ahead of slab pours. “If they’re able to, they’re gonna start laying it up to scaffold height where they can,” Curtis said.

Curtis and other presenters said some walls cannot be taken above floor height until precast columns are set. They reported the masons and other trades held a foreman’s meeting to sequence work and keep crews productive if precast installation slips. Curtis said the project team monitors FAA permit status online and has received a notice that the agency is “experiencing a bottleneck on final approval and notifications,” and that the team’s point of contact is Diana Pinos.

Contract staff noted a separate, near-term hold-up: a temporary power pole that MidAmerican must set before some site work can continue. Project staff said inspections are complete and crews have the transformer located; they asked for help getting MidAmerican to schedule the pole set. Kelsey, a MidAmerican representative on the call, offered to escalate internally and to copy county staff on follow-up emails: “I will…send a few emails and see if we can get some things moving,” she said.

Project staff said that if precast installation were delayed another three weeks, they would become “a little bit nervous,” but that the schedule was “still trending and holding” at the time of the update. They also invited supervisors or other officials to visit the site during a planned Thursday morning walk-through.

Discussion-only items included dust-control risks tied to rain, coordination of control joints in masonry walls, and the sequencing of masons, plumbers and electricians. There was no formal board action on the construction update; staff were instructed to continue coordination and to follow up with MidAmerican about the temporary power pole.

The report referenced work on the Essex Bridge (bridge crew completed guardrail work and mulching is pending) and ongoing site cleanup at other locations. Documentary photos were noted but no bids or contract awards were presented at the meeting.

Looking ahead, the presenters said they will continue to monitor FAA permit notifications, site power scheduling with MidAmerican and precast delivery timing.