MOUND CITY – In Monday, Sept. 26, Linn County Commissioners Jim Johnson and Rick James reviewed changes to a draft of a county resolution for demolition of the old jail. Commissioner Danny McCullough was absent.
At the commissioners’ request last week, County Counselor Gary Thompson had added that the county would be responsible for disconnecting and relocating the gas line near the old jail building and also that the landfill dumping fees would be waived for the project.
County Clerk David Lamb told the commissioners that he had talked to Atmos Energy about getting the gas line moved and had received a couple of names of people who might be able to move it.
Lamb said that it may take a little while to get the move scheduled. He said he had talked with Sheriff Kevin Friend who said it would probably be at least a month before dispatchers were moved out and the gas line could be changed.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved the hiring of Renea Marshall as a volunteer fire fighter for the Pleasanton Fire Station on a six-month probation also pending the pre-employment screenings. Fire Chief Randy Hegwald said that Marshall had previously been with the department, 10 or so years ago. He said that her hiring would make 15 of the 22 positions filled that were available at Pleasanton. Marshall is the sister of Joshua Haynes who died while fighting a fire in June.
• Approved a resolution declaring outdated equipment surplus from the fire department. Most of the equipment, like outdated helmets and bunker coats, would be made inoperable before being taken to the landfill. He said that aluminum air bottles would be recycled.
• Heard from Public Works Director Shaun West that he and Economic Development Director Jessica Hightower plan on finishing up a grant application for the East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging as soon as the last estimate is received. Most of the grant money will be used for building improvements at the Linn County Senior meal sites.
• Approved a road boring at 1350 Road and Ingrahm Road for Anderson County Rural Water District to go under the road for a water line.
• Learned from West that the chip and seal project at Parker was nearly finished.
• Approved a bid from Straight Line Striping for 5.7 miles of center and fog striping in the amount of $9,405. This bid was for painted lines. Other companies’ bids were higher because companies bid on using a product other than paint for the lines. Bids ranged from $9,405 to $67,000.
• Learned that the noxious week department had completed cleaning and spraying around more than 30 bridges. The department staff has a list of what to complete before Assistant Noxious Weed Director Carl Wieberg goes over to the Solid Waste Department for winter.
• Learned that the county’s cost for the cost-share program for weed control in 2022 was going to be $5,400.
• Heard from West that the county bucket truck was up and running. He also said that the south shop mechanic’s truck engine replacement was going to cost $1,500 more than the original cost of $17,500 because the exhaust lines were so bad they could not be burned out. Without the exhaust lines being replaced, the company would not guarantee the new engine.