Madison County supervisors approve personnel resolutions, grounds use and permits for RAGBRAI

Madison County supervisors on Monday approved a series of routine personnel resolutions and authorized county grounds use needed for the Winterset leg of RAGBRAI, the long-distance bicycle ride that will pass through the county later this month.

The board voted to approve an EMS appointment naming Stephen Stewart as an EMT and approved two sheriff’s office hires — Chris Wilson as a deputy and Patrick Fletcher as a jailer. The motions to approve the personnel actions were moved by Heather and seconded by Diane; each motion carried after the board voice vote.

Supervisors also approved a resolution authorizing the county to support a grant application to prepare a nomination for the Earlham Commercial District to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Colleen, who presented the grant plan, said the project would likely request consultant fees in the $10,000–$12,000 range and would expand the district to about 31 properties; supervisors approved forwarding the resolution so the county can apply for grant funding.

Organizers of RAGBRAI provided detailed logistics to the board, saying vendors will be inspected by health officials, support vehicles will be routed around the bypass, and ticketing and ID booths for the beer garden will be located on courthouse lawns off the main vendor areas. The board approved a Madison County grounds permit for Winterset RAGBRAI with an exception related to Annex Park parking; supervisors discussed and agreed on an annex-parking exception and coordination of overflow parking at the fairgrounds and other locations. The RAGBRAI presentation emphasized coordination with Chief Pittman, Sheriff Barnes and the Iowa State Patrol for enforcement and crowd control.

The board also approved a secondary-roads resolution for a bridge replacement tied to congressional funding; the closure and replacement project is on the county’s five-year program.

What’s next: the approvals carried by voice vote during the meeting; organizers said they will post no-parking signs on the downtown square the night before the event and continue coordinating with county law enforcement on enforcement details.