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 County Engineer Bret Aukamp said the highway department needs to
upgrade many of the rural reference signs, which are the green
street intersection signs. Aukamp said "In order to meet current
federal highway administration standards," the signs "need to be
larger" and "have a bigger font" than what they have now.
Aukamp said, "there is no set deadline we need to get it done by,
but we need to start moving toward that" and "making steps to try to
replace the signs that are out there." He said, "Many of the signs
that are out there are pretty old and are not very reflective at
night. If you drive at night out in the country, you have probably
seen that because you cannot see those green signs from very far
away."
Aukamp said, "We would like to start getting those replaced." Aukamp
said, "I am asking the board" because "from what I understand based
on that original agreement with the 911 system, the cost of
replacing those signs to maintaining that system is borne by the
county board." The highway department has always turned in
reimbursement bills for their expenses to the county board.
 Aukamp said, "By replacing the entire system, this is a pretty big
expense." Aukamp said, "With all the intersections we have here in
the county," he would estimate a cost around "$75,000 to $80,000 to
replace all those signs and posts at every intersection."
Aukamp said, "We don't charge for our time, our labor, or our
equipment to do it; it is just those materials [that] are going to
cost that much."
Aukamp asked the board to give "some sort of an idea of how much I
should be able to spend over this fiscal year and how many signs I
should be able to replace." He said it would give him an idea of
whether to try to replace everything over three or four years or
whether to stretch it out over ten years.
Board chairman Chuck Ruben asked if the highway department would buy
just one-third of the signs now, if the work was done over three
years time or if they planned to buy all the signs in the first
year.
Aukamp said if the work was done over three years, he would replace
as many signs as he could with the amount budgeted both on county
highway systems and working with the townships as well.
Ruben also asked, "Is there any advantage to doing the signs all at
once? Would there be any price savings?"
Aukamp said there is not necessarily any price savings by doing that
many at once. Even if split over numerous year, they could get a
"good quantity of signs" at "freight discounts." He said, "There is
no advantage there to be able to get more signs."
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Aukamp said from the county highway standpoint, "stretching this out
over four years would probably be about right." He said an
implementation plan would be needed.
Committee member Gene Rohlfs asked if "manpower wise, twenty five
percent for the year would not be a problem." He also asked how long
it takes to replace the signposts.
Aukamp said they could handle the twenty five percent and the amount of time
needed depends on whether the signposts could be put in the same spot. In those
cases, it is easy and the workers could put in many signs in one day.
Aukamp said, "If we need to call in JULIE locates, and try and find the right
spot. . . I have to be the one setting the stake for where it is supposed to go,
call in the JULIE locate, and making sure all the prep work is done. It is a lot
of office time trying to administer that before the guys ever go out and set the
sign."
Aukamp said doing the work over multiple years makes sense both "budget-wise"
and for "our manpower."
Ruben said a four-year plan "sounds pretty good." He said the county could give
the department $20,000 each of the first three years and $15,000 the fourth
year.
Ruben said the money was not set aside in this year's budget, but it could
possibly come from a line item from wind farm revenue.
Ruben made a motion to approve $20,000 to spend this year.
Finance Committee Chairman David Hepler asked whether the committee could
approve the amount.
Ruben said since the amount will be a $75,000 expenditure over four years, it
will need to be brought before the whole board.
The motion will be brought before the board at Thursday's Workshop.
[Angela Reiners] |
