Engineer estimates military bridge replacement at $1.8M

Linn County receives a $2 million grant to replace the old military bridge on the north side of Mound City. This photos from June 2025 shows brush and logs piled up on the south side of the pier following a rainy May. (Photo by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)

By Charlene Sims, Journal staff

LCJeditor@icloud.com

MOUND CITY – Public Works Director Jesse Walton told the Linn County Commissioners on Tuesday, May 26, that he will be having one more meeting with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) about the old military bridge north of Mound City.

Walton said that the estimated cost for replacing the bridge from the engineer was going to be about $1.8 million. The grant for replacing the bridge was for $2 million. Walton said that he had a phone called scheduled on Wednesday to visit with the engineers about the bridge and he will let the commissioners know about that when the plans are further along.

Walton also introduced the recently hired Assistant Public Works Administrator Zachary Reagan.

Commissioners tabled a disaster relief application brought up last week and again this week by Ware. At last week’s meeting, Commission Chair Alison Hamilton had asked that the appraiser Lisa Kellstadt and Paletta look into the process.

Ware said that Kellstadt had looked into it and she cannot legally complete the process

because the decision is completely up to the commissioners. Paletta agreed that it was up to

the commission. The commissioners decided to table it until Hamilton was present to make a decision.This application was a tax abatement for a house that had been completely destroyed during the storm.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Went into an executive session for five minutes with Commissioners Jim Johnson and Jason Hightower, County Counselor Jacklyn Paletta, County Clerk Chasity Ware, and interim Fire Chief Brian Shroyer for non-elected personnel job performance.

• Agreed to sign a quote between the district court and the county for a quote of $16,034.95 so that the Information Technology (IT) program could purchase and install additional microphones for courtroom purposes. The microphones will be paid for by a grant received by the district court. The signing of the quote was just for grant purposes.

• Heard from Walton that the county had received the permits from the state for replacing the   culverts on 1095 Road. The county has been approved to move forward with that project. Walton said that he would get with the contractor about when that would start so that the public could be notified when that road would be closed down and for how long.

  
  

• Were notified by Walton that Linn County had received the new landfill trucks which were parked outside the annex for the commissioners to view before they were sent over to the mechanics to have the stickers and plates put on them.

• Heard from Walton that he would be meeting with Tony Mellini from Terracon to see where the county was on its permitting process for the expansion of the landfill.

• Learned that Walton and Reagan would be going out to look at areas that had been bare-ground sprayed last year.

• Heard from Walton about the 4-H Building at the fairgrounds. Walton said that he would be sending out the costs for the stove in the kitchen and a few other items so that the kitchen would be functional if that’s what the commissioners wanted to do.

• Learned from Walton that he would be getting with Myrick Mechanical this week to see what the progress was on replacing the heat exchangers on the two big units outside the 4-H Building. And he will also see what the progress was on the heating and cooling unit for the bathrooms and the kitchen.

• Were presented a letter by Ware from Kelllstadt that states she has completed the personal  property and oil and gas appraisals dated May 22. Ware told the commissioners that in order for the county to move forward next week with the July abstracts, these documents will need to be approved and signed by the commissioners. Hightower and Johnson made three separate motions that:                                                                                                                                                               

  – Approved the 2026 transfer and certification of appraisal rolls for personal property for oil and gas.

  – Approved the 2026 transfer and certification of appraisal rolls for real property

  – Approved the 2026 transfer and certification of appraisal rolls for personal property for oil  and gas files.