S&T considers one county bridge for project

The Phelps County Commission identified one county bridge Thursday it would like to see included in an ongoing, bridge-strengthening, research project undertaken by Missouri S&T.

Heading the project, Dr. Genda Chen, interim director for Infrastructure Engineering at Missouri S&T, told the Commission he would be able to schedule an initial inspection and estimate the cost for the bridge-strengthening project sometime near the end of August.

In requesting to participate in the project, the Commission selected a bridge located on County Road 3000, a road continuing from Soest Road about two miles outside of Rolla.

The 163-foot bridge with concrete guardrails was built in 1937.

Chen told the Commission a total of five bridges throughout a multi-county area would be selected for inclusion in the project.

Having already completed bridge-strengthening projects on three other Phelps County bridges in the past, Chen said the overall cost would probably increase, as compared to the cost of prior projects.

In administrating the Delta Regional Authority grant that pays a 50-percent cost/share portion of the funds needed for the project, Leslie Bennish, with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission, told the Commission the remaining cost would be borne by S&T at 20 percent and the county at 30 percent.

“We want to make use of grant funds while we still have them,” Bennish said.
Chen explained the bridges would be strengthened by a process incorporating the use of fiber-reinforced polymer rods or sheets.

Other matters reviewed or taken action upon by the Phelps County Commission on Thursday include the following items:

• Notice of the upcoming meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, of the Board of Equalization was reviewed by the Commission. The board meets once a year to render decisions on assessments being contested by property owners.

Phelps County Clerk Carol Bennett said two appointments with the BOE were scheduled: Walter and Luana Huskey, residents of Private Drive 4363 in St. James, and Forum Plaza Partners, a company that owns Forum Plaza in Rolla, are both contesting property assessments.

The deadline to file for an appeal to the BOE was June 19, Bennett said.

• In an ongoing initiative to adopt a more formal and competitive county-employee leave policy, Commissioner Larry Stratman, District 1, apprised the Commission of the results of his recent meeting with other county officials.

Officials attending the meeting agreed county employees should not have to wait a full year before taking their one-week vacation. The county also should offer up to two weeks of vacation for employees’ first five years of employment, Stratman said.

Additionally, a consensus of county officials recommended other changes to the leave policy, Stratman said, including accruing leave time every pay period; updating accrued leave time on a monthly basis; uncapping the 960-hour limit on accrued sick leave; and to disallow personal-day leaves.

The Commission agreed to further review the officials’ recommendations after it is written and formally submitted.

Stratman said the officials also wanted to discuss and implement a more “customer friendly” method by which the courthouse-at-large handled inclement-weather closings, particularly in respect to the closing of the Circuit Court.

Presently, some elected officials at the courthouse opt to keep their offices open during business hours on snow days, and some elect to close their offices. Some departments open late or close early, depending upon the severity of the weather, which ultimately results in confusing citizens attempting to conduct business at a county office or appearing for court.

Although the Commission took no formal action on the problem of inclement-weather closings at the courthouse, it did not preclude further discussion of the issue.

• The Commission approved the submission of an application from the Sheriff’s Department for a Recovery Act-Justice Assistance Grant, which seeks $66,000 in Stimulus funds to assist with the purchase of two cars, drug interdiction on Interstate 44, marijuana eradication and officer overtime.