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Cerro Gordo County engineer reports theft at Hickory Avenue project, seismic testing planned in southwest county
Summary
County Engineer Brandon briefed the board on a theft that briefly stalled Hickory Avenue work, upcoming seismic testing along Apple and Balsam in the extreme southwest, recent culvert replacements and other road and equipment matters.
Brandon, the county engineer, told the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors on Monday that work on Hickory Avenue was delayed after thieves stole generators and tools from the job site over a weekend but that large equipment was not vandalized and the crew expected to finish within weeks once replacements arrived.
He briefed supervisors on a prospecting company that will conduct seismic testing across roughly 12 to 15 miles in the extreme southwest portion of the county around Apple and Balsam roads. The county's share of the project is about $6,500, which the engineer said represents roughly 2% of the overall permit fee based on the mileage in the county. The company will use plate-mounted vibrators and sensors; the engineer said the testing is nondestructive and will include traffic control and a single-lane, moving operation while work is underway.
Brandon also reported on completed and planned road work: replacement of a 72-inch culvert on Falls Park Drive because the existing pipe was heavily corroded; several small bridge/culvert replacements planned in the Rockwell area this fall; and routine maintenance activities such as ditch cleaning and tire repairs. In the northeast corner of the county he said staff approved an 18-inch crossroad tube to allow a hog farmer to pump manure by hose to a field rather than hauling it on wagons, a change the engineer described as less damaging to roadways and not altering drainage.
The engineer said the county is evaluating converting an existing dump truck into a bobtail or using a belly-dump trailer to increase hauling efficiency rather than buying an unknown-used truck; he estimated conversion would cost a few thousand dollars compared with at least $50,000 for a used replacement. He also said he has solicited bids from contractors approved by the state to evaluate costs for work on a county-owned building in Illinois and expected additional bids in about two weeks.
Tyler Conley, another engineer referenced in the meeting, sent an email reporting that an intake installation — separate from a DD1 project — had been completed and appeared to resolve a local water issue.
These items were presented as departmental updates; no formal actions or policy changes on the engineer's topics were taken at the meeting.
