|
 Roads
and bridge improvements and repairs
Roads and bridge chairman Terry Werth brought
forth the following measures for approval that received 100%
approval by the board on Tuesday evening:
$6,000 - County aide request from County Bridge
Fund for Atlanta Township to repair erosion under a bridge at 2400th
Street.
Preliminary engineering services by Henderson
and Associates for bridge repair over Kickapoo Creek on Nicholson
Road not to exceed $17,273.
Preliminary engineering services by Hutchison
Engineering for a box culvert replacement on County Highway 10
(Elkhart to Mount Pulaski) not to exceed $32,500.
Last week it was announced that the state had
awarded an economic development grant of $2 million for sections of
the road that impact the expansion and continued operations at the
Viper Mine. The road connects Elkhart to Mount Pulaski and provides
access to Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 121. County
planning and actions pay off Major Elkhart-to-Mount Pulaski road
project moving forward; GIS goes public; officials act together in
flu response
Fifth Street Road
County highway engineer Bret Aukamp has been
working with the city of Lincoln to find funding for the urban
section of the Fifth Street Road project. A joint request was
submitted to Congressman Aaron Schock.
Box culvert construction along the rural
section of Fifth Street Road will begin soon. A bid for several
culverts came in under estimate at $270,000. In committee last
month, Aukamp explained that the culverts could be installed now
with major renovations on the road to come later.
The county received a significant grant to
cover the costs of this portion of the project.
County receives funding for Fifth Street Road improvements
911 expansions and developments
Emergency Management Agency director Dan
Fulscher reported that the communications room and Emergency
Operations Center upgrades are going well and expected to be
completed in June.
Also in progress is phase 2 of wireless 911
communications. Two companies have been working diligently and
expect completion by June 15. This phase integrates GIS and EMA 911
mapping and will provide “Enhanced 911” which will identify the
location of cellular calls anywhere around Logan County soon.
Pump problem
The fuel pump at the Logan County Airport was
shut down on Monday. The pump is a self-serve style that dispenses
aviation fuel. An automated credit card reader initiates operation.
The county’s
auditors recently noticed a discrepancy
of approximately $19,000 between pump transactions compared to bank
statements for last year.
Chairman Carlton
said in a note today, “Currently we have notified the Sheriff, our
insurance companies, pump manufacturer and our bank about the
mismatch in the transactions. It is the response from the credit
card company that authorizes the pump-to-pump fuel. It appears that
it is very random but when it does [have a problem] it is messed up
for the whole day.”
He said that the
pump company would be here today to discuss this the problem. “We
are very concerned about this and are aggressively researching it,
but at this time we don’t know where the problem is at. One of our
goals it to get the airport pump operating again this weekend, as
with the Memorial Day traffic there is a great opportunity for fuel
sales.”
Briefs:
The county has received a $19,210 energy
lighting grant for the courthouse.
Logan County has extended the juvenile
detention contract with McLean County for 175 more beds.
[to top of second column] |
Sewer ordinance revision
The
Logan County Department of Public Health brought forward
modifications to the ordinance regulating onsite wastewater disposal
in Logan County. Matt Ringenberg, director of
environmental health said that the department acts as an agent for
the state.
IEPA changes to surface discharge regulations led the
review and process.
The
Logan County Private Sewage Ordinance
revisions includes specifies more
control in areas such as the trickle to steam; it
sets limits to properties where there isn't an alternative system;
requires that more information be collected for septic systems, such
as soil investigation, impact on ground water. The ordinance calls
for subdivisions to have borings on 1-acre areas, particularly where
there are soil type changes; addresses variations on slope with
subsoil or surface discharge and integrates usage of soil type
layers and global positioning found in the new GIS.
The LCDPH has been working with local
contractors helping them in understanding the new changes, and at
establishing a certification to install private wastewater systems.
The local contractors are up to speed but out of town contractors
are still a concern, Ringenberg said.
The ordinance was first approved by the Logan
County Board of Health and received 100 % approval from the county
board on Tuesday.
Chairman’s report
During his Chairman’s report, Terry Carlton
announced that he would be appointing an Information Technologies
(IT) committee. Chairman Carlton believes it is time to begin
development of an IT department. It has become more evident every
year that the county is in need of someone that is knowledgeable in
computer systems and familiar with other technology. This person
might even oversee phone systems and copiers.
Carlton suggested that the county may want to
integrate the initial Geographic Information System work into the IT
position as well. As the GIS gets rolling and requires more time to
add and update information, a separate GIS person would need to be
hired.
Carlton said that he would ask Bill Martin to
lead the IT committee. Various department heads would also be asked
to sit on it including county engineer Bret Aukamp, Emergency
Management Agency director Dan Fulscher and county clerk and
recorder Sally Litterly. “We're kind of up against some things with
GIS,” Carlton said. The committee will probably meet monthly once
it is established, but may require more than that to get started, he
said. He’d like to see the IT plans laid out in time to be included
in the next year’s budget.
In the nearing future
Last week, board member David Hepler presented
two possibilities on the horizon for Logan County. CILCO may
approve land for use that would allow for a bicycle trail over the
Salt Creek Bridge on the Lincoln beltway. The land would allow the
bridge to have 10-foot shoulders that would help with bike trail, he
said. It was not known if the land would be a donation.
Hepler also informed board members that at the
Regional Planning Commission he had heard an introduction to a wind
farm plan that would have over 100 towers with the potential of $2-3
million in revenue for local government. This is a tremendous
opportunity for the schools, he said. New Holland and Middletown
School District would see the most benefit.
[By
JAN YOUNGQUIST]
 |
