Richland County Public Works committee elects chair, approves snowmobile-bridge contract and courthouse crisis-hotline signage

The Richland County Public Works Committee on October (date not specified in the transcript) elected Mark Cooley as chair, approved a contractor bid to replace a snowmobile bridge paid for with a state Snowmobile Alliance grant, and authorized placement of crisis-hotline signage in the courthouse.

The committee convened just after 4 p.m. and, after routine roll call and confirmation of open-meetings posting, moved through several procedural items and reports. A committee member nominated Mark Cooley for chair and the committee approved the nomination by voice vote.

Brandy, who identified herself as handling personal property management, presented several facilities items, including an initial bid for parking-lot crack filling and sealcoating ("We're running around $6,500 for that," Brandy said) and a request from Pumpkin Fest organizers to use the courthouse lawn Oct. 22–27. The committee approved the Pumpkin Fest request and Brandy said staff will handle fencing logistics.

Brandy also reported the county received two replacement heating units from Trane (after an earlier shipment of incorrect models) and said the county now has two backup units. She told the committee a local high school asked to borrow four chairs and two high tables from Melville Hall for a musical; staff agreed to make the items available and the committee approved the loan.

On memorials, Brandy relayed a request from Sue Patch to place a memorial for Jim Patch on the courthouse lawn. Brandy said staff prefers to limit trees and standalone memorials on the lawn and suggested using a paved memorial area with engraved pavers; the committee accepted that approach for future memorial requests.

Josh, who presented the highway and finance report, summarized vouchers and large invoices. He said July vouchers totaled $705,170.39, with notable line items including Morton Salt billed at $158,007.83 and Scott’s Construction at $71,009.48; August vouchers totaled $584,778.49, with another Scott’s Construction invoice of $135,009.27. Josh described the state’s temporary use of a rubberized mastic treatment on Highway 14 as a short-term repair until a full replacement planned for 2026, and noted Lone Rock bridge demolition and river cleanup will be handled under DNR rules.

Staff opened two bids for a snowmobile-bridge replacement funded entirely by a state grant (no county dollars). One bidder was recorded in the transcript as "Abby's Portable Fabrication and Welding" (as read aloud in the meeting) with a $75,000 bid; a second bid from Custom Manufacturing of Clinton, Wis., totaled $65,900 for a 45-by-12-foot bridge with a 25,000-pound capacity. A committee member moved to approve Custom Manufacturing’s $65,900 bid with installation by Dec. 15, 2024, and the motion passed by voice vote. A member asked that the RFP and bids be uploaded to the committee folder for review; staff agreed to do so.

The committee also considered a request from Public Safety to place crisis-hotline signs in courthouse bathrooms and on doors. The clerk confirmed sample signs had been uploaded to committee folders; the committee approved placement of the signs by voice vote.

The meeting concluded after members reviewed future agenda items and voted to adjourn. No formal amendments or legal authorities were cited during the actions recorded in the transcript. The transcript does not include an exact meeting date or a numeric roll-call vote tally for the recorded voice votes.

What’s next: staff will upload the RFP and bids for the awarded bridge contract to the committee folder and monitor the contractor’s deadline of Dec. 15, 2024; staff will also coordinate installation of the crisis-hotline signs and the Pumpkin Fest fencing on county property.