Asphalt crew moving from trail to road
ng National Avenue north of the Marmaton River Bridge are being asked to use caution this week, as the county asphalt crew makes its way north a half a mile.
"We're overlaying the park this morning," Public Works Director Jim Harris said during Monday's Bourbon County Commission meeting. "We'll get that done in the next two days. It's going to be a technical lay because we've got to back the trucks in one at a time ... there's no place to turn around down there."
After the park, the crew will begin laying asphalt from Mill Creek Bridge to the convenience store near U.S. Highway 54. He said there will need to be some leveling done and potholes filled before the asphalt is laid.
He said work will be scheduled to coordinate with the hours of operation at the convenience store. Harris said he also is aware of traffic to the motel.
"It's a big traffic area," Harris said. "We'll just have to roll with it."
Second District Commissioner Barbara Albright suggested signs be set to alert drivers the work is being done by the county.
After completing work on National Avenue, the asphalt equipment will be moved west to Bronson and Uniontown.
After holding several work sessions, the schedule for asphalt work was established in April. On Monday, Jeannie Parker attended the meeting with a copy of the schedule to ask the status of work on Native Road, where she lives.
Harris began marking changes on the list. The work on North National Avenue and on 215th has been bumped up on the schedule. Yale Road and 55th Street projects have been moved down the list.
Harris said when work is completed in the Uniontown and Bronson areas, the crews will return to the Fort Scott area.
"Weather permitting, and money permitting, you could very easily be first on the list when we come back," Harris said.
There are two projects slated on Native Road, one, which is eighth on the list, is from 25th to 50th streets. The other, which has been 12th on the list, is from 205th to 267th streets.
Albright asked if Native is in worse shape than Jayhawk, which is slated for asphalt from 230th to 267th streets.
"Yours is rough, but Jayhawk is worse," Harris said.
"Last summer we were trying to get this done, so this is the second summer," Parker said.
Harris said he would like the list to be updated after the crews return to the Fort Scott area.
"Look at out budget and look at our time frame," Harris said. "This is definitely a high priority road. Jayhawk is a high priority road because of traffic count."
He said due to rain, the asphalt work is two weeks behind schedule.
"I think we're doing good," Commission Chairman Allen Warren said. "When we have dry weather, we are making good progress."
Harris agreed, stating the crews are good.
"Within the next 30 days we should be, hopefully, making the swing around and we'll know more of what we're doing," Harris said. "Thirty days you should come get an updated list."
Parker also asked whether the county will pick up brush that was cut along the road.
"Side trim is a tough issue, because we get a request to do side trim and it does make a mess, but in a couple of years it's better," Harris said. "We try to go back with the motor grader and bunch it up and eventually burn it. We have, in some cases, come back and loaded it."
Warren said the county would not burn the brush until winter.
After Parker left the meeting, the discussion on the hard surface plan continued. Harris said he wishes Jayhawk could be milled, then asphalted in September.
"If you told them you were going to do that in September, I think you could, but that's never been indicated," Albright said. "I told them they'd have to go all year. But if that could have been milled and completed by the end of summer, if we could squeeze it in there, I think we should. I think that would be the smartest thing. If it's the worst road we have, why aren't we doing it?"
Harris agreed it is the worst road, but said he wants direction from the commissioners. Albright said she would like his recommendation.
"That would be my recommendation to come back and do that, if the budget allows us to do that, on Jayhawk," Harris said. "Looking at the budget, I think we're going to be OK, but we've got seven miles of asphalt yet to lay out west."
He said if the county could mill the road, treat it and pack it down, like it did on 240th, drivers might be satisfied if they had to wait until spring for the asphalt.
No decision was made.
The crews have completed work on 240th, with the exception of some touch-up work, which will be done in the fall, Harris said.
"The road turned out very nice," Harris said. "I'm confident the citizens that live out there will like that road."
Other county business:
* Commissioners voted to accept the low bid of $11,203.72 from Van Diest Supply Company for chemicals. Red River submitted a bid of $11,461.80 and Crop Production Serivces (CPS) submitted a bid of $11,287.
* Commissioners will hold two work sessions today. The first session will be held at 11 a.m. with a representative from Piper Jaffray Co. to discuss how to proceed with a new jail project. The second session will begin at 1 p.m. with representatives from P1 Group, which has compiled a master plan for the courthouse and Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center.
* John Green, executive director, attended the meeting to request a $2,000 appropriation for the Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging. The request is the same as last year, he said.
* A permit to sell fireworks was approved for Hale Fireworks, which will be located on U.S. 69 south of Peerless.
* No action was taken following an extended 15-minute executive session held with Harris to discuss non-elected personnel to protect their privacy.