Supervisor touts progress in county operations

CHRIS WATTS

Cerro Gordo County Supervisor

When I was first elected to represent the taxpayers of Cerro Gordo, reviewing the budget and facilities were top priorities

The late Bob Ammoson, Jay Urdahl and Phil Dougherty had left the county in pretty good financial shape. Their big project was the new law enforcement facility west of town on county-owned property It was a great legacy for them and the residents of North Iowa.

Listening to other issues, the Secondary Roads Department stood out. Most of the county sheds were in failing condition and repair estimates were out of sight.

We started by selling the county maintenance facility on South Federal Avenue, the maintenance building in Clear Lake and property across the street there also, and the old Highway Patrol station at the intersection of Eisenhower Avenue and Highway 122 west of Mason City Kwik Star is now on that parcel.

Not only did this stir development at those locations, but it put previously county-owned property back on the tax rolls The proceeds went toward our new, modern joint maintenance facility and engineer’s office next to the law enforcement center, also on county-owned land.

Next came planning for better logistical locations and upgrades to the other locations

„ Ventura’s new maintenance facility opened in December

„ Thornton’s new maintenance location opened at the end of February

„ The North Illinois facility in Mason City was the worst out of all. That location has been prepared for a new maintenance facility going up in the spring. These three facilities will be paid for with federal American Rescue Plan money, long-overdue improvements to county infrastructure while watching out for the budget at the same time.

This will leave us looking toward Dougherty and Rockwell for remaining improvements

The current board had budgeted for new trucks and road graders over and above the normal replacement periods in place. A lot of needs replacing and upgrading. This equipment is the backbone to infrastructure maintenance in the rural areas of the county Rollers are being considered for the graders to help minimize the rock in the ditches

The roads, bridges and drainage in the county also require attention. Keep in mind, when the gravel roads, bridges and original drainage tiles were first put in, trucks and tractors were a lot smaller than they are today

We hired Brandon Billings, native to our area, as county engineer He brings fresh ideas to the table all the time.

There are over 691 miles of gravel roads in our county It’s not perfect yet, probably never will be, but our maintenance crew employees work hard at trying to keep up with the aging infrastructure.

Drainage tile in many locations is 100 years old. And remember, when this was installed farm equipment was a lot smaller and weighed much less Imagine the weight compacting down on these old clay tiles

Constant repair

Bridges in many rural locations are narrow and farmers have to drive several miles around to get to land on the other side. In these areas, bridges are being identified for “bridge extensions” and you should see this improve going forward.

Snow removal concerns are always a point of contention.

The first snow this season, the roads were too soft for some of our heavy equipment It would have done more harm than good Exercising caution is always at rural residents forefront, and most understand the waiting game

With Bad Weather

The second snow/blizzard we had, the goal was to clear hard-surface roads and hopefully plow a path down gravel roads to open the roads and returning as winds drifted them in again.

I spent the early morning hours riding with one of our seasoned drivers two days before Christmas at the beginning of the blizzard. These guys are out in this when we are all at home safe and warm or should be. The question is usually “why my road hasn’t been done yet.”

I understand, and so do they They are giving it their best.

We tried larger rock for the rural gravel roads, hoping this would work down in and help strengthen the base. Again, how long have they been there?

We had some sizing issues from a quarry we were using, causing headaches for those traveling on the larger rock. We are aware and working through this, thinking outside the box to fix some of these bad roads All in all, county crews are doing fantastic work.

As many of you know, my cell number is published on the county site. I do take calls and I do return calls I do not just represent the new District 1, but all of Cerro Gordo County

I’m proud to serve you and see these projects through.