Commission approves appointees, projects

MOUND CITY – The Linn County Commissioners on Monday, May 22, authorized the Linn County road shop to extend and gravel the parking lot at the health department. The health department grant funds will pay for the material and manpower.

Linn County Health Department Director Amanda Snyder told the commissioners that the road crew was ready to start on the two- to three-day job at the health department this week. There were concerns that it would not be completed until later if it was not started now because the crew would be working on asphalting roads.

Snyder said that this was Skin Cancer Awareness Month and a person was coming to the health department to give spray tans to the public.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved changing the commission meeting next week to Tuesday, May 30, due to the Memorial Day holiday.

• Approved a cereal malt beverage license for Power Stop #5. The gas station near the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and Kansas Highway 152. Because there is a new owner, a new license had to be issued.

• Appointed Becky Hegwald to the Economic Development Committee to replace Teresa Whitaker who was resigning. Hegwald is also taking Whitaker’s position as Pleasanton City Administrator.

• Learned from Public Works Director Shaun West that the utilities had been transferred and turned on at the new Pleasanton Senior location.

• Approved adding three new burial locations to an existing burial permit. The locations are 7846 West 1525 Road, Casida and 1250 Road and 11635 West 1150 Road.

• Learned that the old blue bus for transportation had been pulled back into service and removed from the surplus items to be sold on Purple Wave. West explained the green bus was down with heating and air conditioning problems, which were going to be expensive to fix. West told the commissioners that the delivery for the replacement of the blue bus was still about four months out. But he recommended not putting the money in the green bus, since it was going to be sold.

• Decided to get more information before approving a bid to remodel the house at the park. The bid that West had recommended was from Midwestern Construction for nearly $163,600. West said that the money would have to come out of the windfall and contingency funds.

Commissioners discussed concerns about the cost of the bid, that the county did not own the land the house was on, and lack of projections about what rental fees would bring into the county. West will also look into what the costs were for demolition of the house.

• Learned West and Economic Development Director Jessica Hightower were looking for grants to pay for the engineering study for the swimming area at the Linn County Park.

• Heard an update from Information Technology Director (IT) Chris Martin about projects the IT department was working on and had completed.