WINONA – The Federal Highway Administration informed the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors that 12 bridges in the county need “urgent maintenance.”
According to County Engineer Christian Gardner, 11 of these bridges are open for traffic and one, located on North Mission Road, is closed.
“Six or seven of these have problems with the substructure,” Gardner told the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Monday. “A couple of them have problems on the decks.”
The bridges that need to be repaired are located on Old Highway 82 East, Riley Road, Clark Road, Harmony Road, Herring School Road, Poplar Creek (Highway 413) Road, Dorisville Road, Thomas Road, and two on Kill Hill Road.
Gardner said the county must make necessary repairs or the bridges will be closed by the Federal Highway Administration in the future.
In the past several years, Federal Highway Administration has been taking funds from each Mississippi county’s federal aid funds and hiring out-of-state inspectors to inspect bridges.
In other county business, Supervisor Keith McGee asked his fellow supervisors to determine a way the county can keep up with regular road maintenance while crews are focused on road paving. Currently, the county road crew is paving Dividing Ridge, parts of Minerva Road, and parts of Fisher Crossing – a total of three miles.
“Our roads are grown up, and they haven’t been graded,” McGee said.
McGee said he checked with Gardner about solutions and learned that other counties bid out road paving work. He said after one takes into account materials, labor, and wear and tear on equipment, the county might save 15 percent by doing road paving in house.
McGee said he had thought of a few options, one of which included hiring two additional employees at the Road Department to handle regular road maintenance during paving projects. However, the savings created by doing the road paving in house would not cover the cost of two salaries.
According to District 4 Supervisor Ron Wood, the county is spending approximately $120,000 per year for road paving, and the county paves two miles of road each year. The savings -- 15 percent is $18,000 per year -- would not cover the expense of adding personnel.
Road Manager Chris Breazeale said he tries to allocate one road employee to each end of the county, while the rest of the road crew assists with paving. However, he currently has two vacancies in his department.
Gardner told the board that most counties he works with does some paving in house and bids out other paving projects.
McGee said the county will have to make a decision to either hire more men in the Road Department or bid out the paving work “so our guys can do their jobs” keeping roadsides cut and gravel roads graded regularly.
“When you drive into another county, it looks like you are leaving a jungle and heading into a state park,” McGee said.
Gardner told the board he felt that doing paving work on roads traveled by logging trucks was not an effective use of county funds due to wear-and-tear on the pavement. He recommended using crushed stone versus washed rock gravel on those roads because it makes a solid base that is less dusty and muddy than washed rock.
Crushed rock, also referred to as limestone, is more expensive than washed rock, $32.50 per ton versus $15.25 per ton, but “it is less expensive in the long run.”
The board agreed to research various paving options as well as the cost and will discuss the matter at a future meeting.
• The board accepted a bid of $23,000 to move the Emergency Operation Center’s furniture and computer equipment to the new Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department building, formerly the district office of the Montgomery County School District adjacent to the courthouse.
According to Emergency Operations Director Allan Pratt, the cost of the moving also includes having the equipment operational at both locations to ensure 911 calls are answered during the move.
• Chancery Clerk Ryan Wood informed the board about an erosion problem in the Rolling Green Subdivision. According to Wood, the subdivision’s roads were turned over to the county for maintenance several years ago. However, County Attorney Alan D. Lancaster advised the board to make sure the past board accepted maintenance on the roads before they begin work.
• The board voted to ratify Pratt’s decision as Montgomery County Emergency Management director to declare a burn ban in the county until October 23, 2019.
• The board voted to enter into an agreement with North Central Planning and Development District for the Code Red Weather Warning service in the amount of $1,500 a year. Code Red Weather Warning service allows residents to sign up for text or telephone call alerts during dangerous weather events.
• The board approved Sheriff Bubba Nix to purchase a rifle and scope from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department for $1, as is customary for outgoing sheriffs, according to Wood.
• The board approved the attendance of Justice Court Clerk Karen Carter and Constable Jerry Dale Bridges to attend the Justice Court Clerk’s Conference in Jackson in October.
• The board approved the attendance of the Montgomery County Election Commission and Circuit Clerk Lanelle Martin to attend ECAM training in Philadelphia in January.
• The board adjourned until Monday, October 7 at 8 a.m.
