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Owen County moves ahead on Little Flock Road paving, tree trimming and community crossing awards
Summary
Commissioners approved plans tied to a community crossing grant for Little Flock Road, discussed ditching, culverts and tree trimming ahead of paving, and awarded community crossing work to the lowest bidder.
Owen County commissioners said Little Flock Road will be paved end‑to‑end using community crossing funds and approved related project steps at Tuesday’s meeting.
Commissioner: “Little Flock Road is gonna be paved in its entirety north to south,” commissioners said, confirming the project and sign‑off procedures.
Why it matters: The county said the work follows damage from bridge repairs and a reimbursement agreement; commissioners cited an amount discussed at the meeting of $2,227,205 tied to the Little Flock project.
County highway staff and commissioners said three preparatory steps must happen before paving: ditching, installing culverts and removing trees that overhang roads so sunlight can dry surfaces. The highway superintendent told commissioners the county has culverts on hand for most work and plans to contract local tree‑trimming firms to handle tree removal.
Workweek and staffing: Commissioners voted to suspend or repeal a previously adopted 10‑hour, four‑day workweek ordinance for the highway department and to restore a five‑day, eight‑hour schedule for the summer because of limited staff and overtime risks. The motion to return to a five‑day schedule passed 2‑0.
Community Crossing grant and contractor: Highway staff requested that the county award the community crossing grant work to the lowest qualified bidder; the county confirmed the lowest bidder was EMT (recorded as EMB/EMT in meeting) and commissioners approved awarding the contract to that bidder so the entire project will be contracted to one firm, per grant requirements.
Other highway items: Commissioners said the county has three injection‑hole patching machines in operation, described progress on FEMA and IDHS damage assessments for bridges and roads, and asked the county attorney to review a software (Softworks) contract before signing.
Next steps: Once the signed reimbursement agreement is returned to the county, the community crossing process will proceed: funds flow to the county, the project will be publicly bid and work on ditches and culverts will be scheduled. Commissioners said some of the paving will likely occur late this year or next spring.
Ending: Commissioners said they expect more details and schedules once agreements are signed and bids are opened.
