TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2020

Osage County Health Department Administrator Susan Long sent word there is now one active case of COVID-19 open in the county. "All of the contacts to our current positive case, have remained without symptoms and will be released from quarantine at the end of the day tomorrow. In addition, we have another contact to a case from outside of the county also in quarantine who will be released at the end of next week," Long wrote.

* Osage County Road & Bridge Foreman Ron Kempker has been out to see a culvert on CR 521. It's badly damaged. "It's short by about six feet," he said. He's flagged it and put up locater markings; and his crew will be working on it shortly. "It'll be in the works."

* Kempker is also keeping tabs on a culvert on CR 516, and he's unsure if the property owners live at the location.

"We've had a culvert installed and it's not up to county specifications," he said.

Kempker has been watching some construction there, thinking the drive might be temporary. However, it wasn't removed when the construction was done. Now there's an eight-inch black plastic, single walled pipe, inadequate to handle any heavy rain at all. He posted a sign at the location outlining the county specifications. It requests the owner contact the county to resolve the issue. "In most cases if we get with them, most people follow the specs," he observed.

"We're getting quite a few phone calls," Kempker added, still on the issue of private drive culverts. He reiterated his desire to have recent specifications published and available for distribution.

* CR 235 has a badly deteriorating low-water crossing. Kempker showed pictures of the slab. It's a big one, 92 feet by 18 feet, and the concrete is breaking up. The old steel culvert underneath has rusted out and needs to be replaced. The crew has installed a temporary steel plate over the worst part to keep the crossing passable, but Kempker intends to have a plan to fix it soon. "We'll have to throw some pencils to it and see what we come up with," he said.

* Osage County First District Commissioner John Glavin thinks a slab on CR 319 is in similar trouble. "It's got about the same issue," he said. He's even more concerned there, because several heavy trucks use that crossing.

* Glavin also mentioned crossings on CR 317 and CR 275. The one on CR 275 has a beaver dam restricting water flow near it. Kempker added he is also looking at slabs on CRs 313 and 324.

* At another location on CR 319, Glavin noticed someone has driven a stake in the road bed. It doesn't appear to be a survey marker, but he doesn't know what it is. "It has nothing to do with Road and Bridge," said Kempker.

* Osage County Second District Commissioner Larry Kliethermes asked about CR 502. It hasn't been graded for a while, but, "I think he's on it today," said Kempker. "I know it's right there at the top of the list."

* Kempker has scheduled installation of new private drive culverts; one on CR 524, another on CR 516, both before the end of the week, weather permitting.

* Osage County Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin has received an email from a teacher at Immaculate Conception School in Loose Creek. She wants to do a community service project with her students, picking up trash along CR 412 and others. Kempker's department will provide safety signage and heavy duty yellow trash bags. When they're full, county trucks will pick them up. Adults will supervise the children, and "We'll be willing to help them in any way," said Kempker. "Keeping the county clean is a good thing."

* Kempker has received applications for vacancies in his department. He has notified applicants that hiring is frozen until after the COVID-19 emergency.

* Griffin received a revised draft of the contract between the City of Westphalia and Osage County. It provides maintenance by the county of CR 511 within Westphalia city limits. The city now acknowledges ownership of the road; and with that revision, the commissioners approved and signed the contract. Glavin opposed. "We've got too many public roads that need more attention besides that one," he said. He requested the statement be on the record.

Griffin said he would provide a copy of the CR 511 contract with the city of Westphalia to Kempker after it's signed by Mayor Tammy Massman.

*  Rock has been hauled on CRs 204, 211, 414, 424, 516, 610, 613, 722, and 736; service has been done on truck #35 and Wheel Loader #21; a culvert has been repaired on CR 722; and grader operators have been active on CRs 204, 211, 241, 303, 310, 312, 313, 322, 411, 414, 424, 503, 505, 516, 522, 601, 605, 606, 610, 611, 613, 621, 701, 702, 721, 724, 726, 736, 804, 806, 807, and Turn Back Now Trail.

* Bills from March 31 through April 13 were approved as follows by department: 911/EMA ($15,185.58), Assessor ($3,470.81), Building & Grounds ($500), Circuit Clerk ($355.37), Collector ($16,160.73), Commission ($112.50), County Clerk ($2,744.08), Health Department ($412.60), Miscellaneous ($5,841.87), Prosecuting Attorney ($644.33), Road & Bridge ($25,475.73), Sheriff-Jail ($21,945.58), and McClure Engineering ($1,470.25); for a total of $94,624.43.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020

Glavin has received a phone call from McClure Engineering Project Manager Aaron McVicker. McClure is coordinating the construction of the new bridge over Shawnee Creek on CR 274A. The state legislature hasn't set prevailing wage guidelines for this class of construction, likely due to the COVID-19 emergency. McVicker is reluctant to open bidding because he is unable to advise contractors what is expected. He recommended putting the event off for two weeks and the commission concurred. "It's hard to bid on jobs when these things aren't known," said Glavin.

The project is likely to begin later in the available time window, so nearby landowners now would like the downed trees in the area to be removed and burned. Should flooding occur like last year, the brush could cause problems. "The creek's going to get up," Glavin observed.

* Local Shelter Insurance Agent Jeff Wolfe was called in to clarify his position on a recent disagreement about parking between his office and the Osage County Annex. The concern he has is not about parking between the east side of his building and the west side of the Annex. His recent visit to the Annex was about new tenants moving into office space which he owns. Recently occupied by attorney Sonya Brandt, now Associate Circuit Judge. New occupants, Gratz Real Estate, wanted to move in office furniture; but could not get to the door because Annex employees were parked there. His request was for those vehicles to be moved so tenants could access the front door to their leased space. "I don't want to be known as the parking troll," he said.

* Commissioners signed outgoing checks.

* The Municipal General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is Wednesday, May 20.