County staff report road projects, Grant Harris Center usage and Civic Center track timeline

County staff and department heads used the meeting's commissioner reports to update the board on operations and upcoming work.

Roads and public works: Mr. Watkins reported on recent township meetings and said the department is pursuing in-house asphalt/paving certifications to reduce contract costs. He listed near-term projects (ditch work, high-ridging, tree cutting) and said frost laws went into effect, complicating scheduling. Watkins said Hammond Road (between Town Line and 3 Mile) is slated for 2026 and that a kickoff has occurred for the long-awaited 3 Mile Road project; staff will coordinate to limit work during school sessions.

Grant Harris Center and Civic Center: Administrator Alger reported preliminary numbers from the Grant Harris Center: 76 recorded client interactions (staff estimate this may be closer to 90 when informal contacts are counted), 54 in-office visits, 53 adults served, 59 cases recorded as "resolved," and about 50 Medicaid-eligible clients with 26 private payers; Munson and CMH are exploring how to process private-pay billing. On the Civic Center walking track (a Spark grant-funded project), Alger said the grant is $1,000,000 and that the bridge removal is scheduled around spring break with substantial completion by mid-June and final completion in July. Staff will coordinate with Northwest Ed and school bus schedules to avoid conflicts during student drop-off/pick-up.

Other operational notes included updates on palletized fleet usage, carbide plow-blade performance (reported as lasting longer than steel blades), and staffing or attendance notes from commissioners.