Road and Bridge superintendent reports bridge work, vehicle repairs and limited hauling due to budget constraints

Road and Bridge Superintendent Joe Gardner updated the Board on maintenance and projects at the May 11 meeting. He said crews started dust control on 142 Road and will patch chip-seal roads, that Husker Steel will return to complete the second bridge near W4 and 310 after crews reached a deadline at 166 and R4 Roads, and that Rainbow will temporarily relocate utilities to facilitate the project.

Gardner reported equipment and personnel updates: an employee named Peyton received his CDL permit last week, a Dodge pickup returned from ICE with $5,100 in repairs and additional $4,000 work from Ellis Boys, and Gardner said a new motor would have cost about $20,000 if ICE had not been able to fix it. He also submitted two right-of-way entrance permits (Michael and Sierra Noren on 254th; Phillip Swank and Margaret Kremers on M Road) and provided a detailed list of roads that received hauled rock last week. Gardner said the department is not hauling rock this week due to budget constraints; crews hauled rock last week to repair washouts and prep for dust control.

The update included operational checks: Chairman Pruett asked whether operators used scarifiers and checked edges during dust-control preparation; Gardner said he had another operator double-check the work. No formal action was taken on the report.