Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Reporting to the Eddy County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 6, Interstate Engineering Office Manager and Professional Engineer Ben Aaseth reported on the weather delays that have put the Lake Washington road grade raise project slightly behind schedule.
The contractor has applied for, and the commissioners approved, a 30-day extension for the project, although Aaseth anticipates they would be finished by the end of the week. He reported that the project is going very well and that the riprap and sub-grade are done, and the graveling will be finished soon. Grass seeding along the road will not take place until next spring.
Aaseth also discussed possible planning for future road projects that could happen in Eddy County as federal and state funding becomes available. Gravelling Eddy County 8 would be a federal project at an estimated cost of $450,000. The Brantford road would be a state project with multiple options. One option is to install an asphalt overlay with an approximately $2.6 million cost. A second option involves reclaiming the road base with the existing materials, grinding it and mixing it with other products before relaying and chip-sealing. This option cost considerably less, estimated at $1.7 million, and has been utilized by Maddock on some of their new road projects. There will be further discussion when funding becomes available.
Eddy County Road Superintendent Irvin Loe informed the commissioners that they were preparing the snow removal equipment for winter. Commissioner Glenda Collier informed Loe that there had been a request for a minimum maintenance road to be bladed before winter.
Old business covered by the commissioners included the following items:
• After an electrician told the commissioners that electrical heat was not an option for enhancing heating in the courthouse basement, the commissioners decided to move forward with a plan to reconnect the steam radiation piping in the old jail cell, which would improveheating particularly in the basement women’s bathroom but also would help with general heating of the space.
• The commissioners and Eddy County Auditor Patty Williams will look at the employee sick leave policy regarding sick leave accruals and discuss the possibility of creating a policy that allows the donation of sick leave to other employees.
New business covered by the commissioners included the following:
• The commissioners approved an application for a conditional use permit by CenDak Cooperative. They plan to build a 60-by-90 foot building for bulk fertilizer storage, propane, pesticides and seed, stating that the area is in need of dry fertilizer storage and blending capacity.
• Holiday schedules for the courthouse were also discussed. The courthouse will be closed the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The next meeting of the Eddy County Commission will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 8:30 a.m.
