Now is the time to fix several ailing bridges according, to Oktibbeha County”s road manager.
Victor Collins informed the Board of Supervisors Monday that 10-15 county bridges are in need of repair while the weather is dry. The bridges, built over creeks, need their steel pilings encased in concrete to stop rust at the water line which could eventually cause the bridges to fail.
The problem was exposed this fall after a dry summer caused water levels to drop exposing extensive rust on rarely seen sections of the pilings.
None of the bridges pose an immediate safety threat, Collins said following Monday”s meeting, but time may be running out to fix those showing the greatest need.
“They”re not in critical condition but they”re at a critical point,” said Collins. “If it goes to raining and the creeks fill back up, we may not get in those 10 or 15 (creeks).”
The solution is fairly simple: Collins and the road crew will choose which bridges need the most immediate attention, clean the rust from the pilings and encase them in concrete. The problem, however, is exacerbated by a dwindling budget.
County Administrator Don Posey said the county budget is already “the tightest since I”ve been here for 16 years” which has led to cuts in every department. Add to that the rising cost of fuel, which impacts the cost of items like cold mix to fill potholes, and the late winter, with its mix of rain and cold temperatures, is the worst time for road repairs.
In January and February alone the road crew spent $57,559 on cold mix, which is “way over” the budget, according to Posey.
Now the window for repairing the bridges is closing. If waters in county creeks rise, the road crew could have to dam off areas and pump water out just to work on the pilings at an even greater cost.
Collins estimates the road crew could repair five or six bridges each year if the county had the money.
“If we don”t have the money we”ll do all we can do,” District 1 Supervisor Carl Clardy told Collins.
District 3 Supervisor and Board President Marvell Howard asked Collins to work up a cost estimate for the bridge work to present at a future meeting.
District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer mentioned the possibility of borrowing money to repair the bridges.
“We need to put together a project. If it”s as critical as (Collins says) we need to address it,” he said.
In other business the board:
- Scheduled a public hearing to discuss the redistricting of Oktibbeha County for March 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the county courthouse.
- Approved nearly $45,000 in change orders at OCH Regional Medical Center. Posey presented the requests for two gas monitors and alarms, lighting to be mounted beneath wall-mounted cabinets, a retaining wall, sleeves for irrigation pipes and lowering the planters in front of the hospital.
Posey stated approximately $125,000 remained in the board”s contingency fund, last time he checked, to deal with changes as they arise. The fund began with $185,000. Two bond issues totaling $27.5 million were issued in 2010 to pay for the bulk of OCH”s renovation and construction.
County Attorney Jack Brown reminded the board OCH has its own operating budget to handle such changes and this will likely not be the last round of change orders. The supervisors chose to address all change orders in one vote with District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer casting the lone opposing vote.
- Was scolded by Col. Herbert Turner, the victim of a January pit bull attack on Sixteenth Section Road, for failing to implement a vicious animal ordinance.
Posey said the county has collected animal ordinances from five or six counties and a few cities and supervisors are examining the documents to determine which ideas best suit Oktibbeha County. He added that the matter will likely require a public hearing before an ordinance is effected.
“The county can”t afford a system where we go out and chase dogs and pen them up. There”s too big an area to do that,” said Posey after Monday”s meeting. “And a lot of people live in the county so they won”t have leash laws.”
“We want to get it right the first time,” said District 5 Supervisor John Young of the proposed ordinance.
- Asked Chancery Clerk Monica Banks to look into purchasing surveillance equipment for the county courthouse after Clardy raised the issue of three hit-and-run incidents in the courthouse parking lot in recent weeks.
County Attorney Jack Brown estimated a camera and a DVD recorder would cost less than $1,000 and suggested the system could also be used to identify individuals drinking beer in the courthouse parking lot, which is against the law on county property.
“You can probably pay for (the surveillance system) with fines from the number of folks with beer,” said Brown.
Oktibbeha County Sheriff”s Office Chief Deputy George Carrithers said the parking spots designated for people handling business at the courthouse already yield tickets whenever a car is discovered parked overnight.
“We write tickets for cars in the morning if there”s frost on it,” said Carrithers.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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