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County engineer outlines large drainage, grading and equipment plans; supervisors accept DOT report
Summary
Cerro Gordo County’s engineer described a major 72-inch culvert installation, multi-year gravel-road shoulder work, vehicle/equipment disposals and planned culvert replacements; the board accepted the department's annual report.
Brandon, County Engineer for Cerro Gordo County, told supervisors on Sept. 15 that crews are installing a large 72-inch crossroad tube on Fellows Park Drive and will begin a multiyear program to regrade shoulders and reduce ponding along Falls Park Drive.
"We're planning to go along there and there's gonna be ... we're gonna start chopping away at it and seeing what we can do to get secondary ditches in there," Brandon said, describing the effort to route water toward existing crossroad tubes rather than install many new structures.
Brandon said county graders are addressing widespread shoulder buildup that has created focused spots of ponding and gravel loss; he estimated the county maintains about 800 miles of gravel roads and described the shoulder work as a multiyear effort. He also reported routine ditch cleaning, tile work and the final stage of annual gravelling in Rockwell territory.
On equipment, Brandon said the county will auction a dozer that needs repairs deemed uneconomical, along with several vehicles and trailers, and will continue to evaluate fleet needs. He described a new dump truck experiencing an unexplained hydraulic/electrical failure and said mechanics are troubleshooting the unit. "We have a dozer blade on the front of our Rockwell skid loader, which does 95% of what we need it to do," he said, explaining why the county plans to sell an older bulldozer.
Brandon also outlined preconstruction work for a culvert replacement adjacent to the interstate on Finch; contractors were due to mobilize and the engineer said he would report back to the board on the schedule. He said the department came in under budget overall last year, though general roadway expenditures exceeded projections by about $80,000; he plans to propose end-of-year budget amendments to fund several culvert replacements that had been deferred.
The board voted to accept the county engineer's annual report by voice vote. The mover and seconder for the motion were not identified in the meeting record; the transcript records the motion carried with supervisors saying "Aye." Brandon requested budgeting for future equipment such as a grapple attachment to improve roadside vegetation and indicated a possible federal-aid project of about $3.5 million will require the county to carry cash flow until reimbursement.
Supervisors discussed winter supplies and reported the county has adequate stockpiles of salt and sand for the year and is contracting for an additional 300 tons of salt as a precaution. The board approved the engineer's report and will consider budget amendments later in the fiscal year for planned culvert replacements.
