A proposal from Hein Construction Co., Fairbury, to apply crack sealing on two concrete roads was approved Wednesday, Feb. 27, by the Nemaha County Commissioners.
The bid is $2,500 for Industrial Park Road, where such work has never been done and $17,250 for the road south of Brownville to Cooper Nuclear Station. Auburn city officials will be billed for the west half of crack sealing pavement on 638 Avenue south of 730 Road. The work was done on the road south of Brownville in 2008, at a cost of $17,245.34.
To Schedule Hearing on Land Not in Fire Districts
Hearings will be scheduled on parcels of land in the Peru and Nemaha areas which are not in a fire district. The hearings will be set before Wednesday, May 1 and conducted prior to Saturday, June 1. A state statute requires all areas within a county not within the incorporated areas of cities or villages to be included within a rural or suburban fire protection district.
The affected areas are: McKissick Island, which would be placed in the Peru Rural Fire District; some land that became Nemaha County’s from Iowa because of a change in the Missouri River channel and some land owned by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission which would be placed in the Nemaha Rural Fire District.
Support Proposed Coalition to Limit Channel Degradation
The commissioners supported establishment of a coalition to seek county, state and federal funding sources to limit stream channel degradation in the eastern third of Nebraska. There is no funding requirement at this time. Similar support will be sought from officials of other counties.
Engineer Mark Mainelli explained the Hungry Canyons Alliance, Inc. — a coalition of western Iowa counties created in the early 1990s to research and implement solutions to the problem of stream channel erosion and degradation in areas of deep loess soils in 23 counties.
Eastern Nebraska consists of soils which are highly susceptible to erosion and stream degradation. Erodible streambeds are unstable and widening because of degradation. That results in damage to public and private infrastructure including bridges, culverts, utility lines and loss of farmland.
Officials of the Iowa alliance are proposing authorizing a new initiative through the Natural Resource Conservation Service to provide federal funding for grade control projects on streams with active down-cutting and erosion, Mainelli said.
He told the county officials he will accompany a delegation from Nebraska and Iowa to Washington, D.C., this month to discuss a proposed coalition with federal officials. Later, plans are to meet with officials of supportive counties and develop the coalition’s framework. Mainelli will keep the commissioners informed on the issue.
Fuel Bids Accepted, Permit on Public Right of Way Approved
March’s fuel bid of Farmers Coop was approved. The bid was: $3.860 for No. 1 Diesel; $3.740 for No. 2 Diesel and $3.630 for regular unleaded. The other bid, from Lueders Petroleum, was $3.965 for No. 1 Diesel; $3.825 for No. 2 Diesel and $3.645 for regular unleaded.
Great Plains Communications of Blair was granted a permit to bury a fiber optic cable on a public right of way. The work is planned on 733A Road east to 640 Avenue proceeding north to Highway 67 north of Auburn.
Miscellaneous
County officials will advertise for a road employee. Applications will be due by 5 p.m. Monday, March 18. The commissioners will have a work session Tuesday, March 19, to review applications and conduct interviews Friday, March 22.
A resolution was approved to renew the liquor license for the Auburn Country Club. County Clerk Joyce Oakley reported no objections were received.
A vending agreement with Smith Vending was approved to provide a snack machine and soft drink machine at the Nemaha County Jail, with zero percent commission.
A flood plain development permit was approved for a bridge north of Brock, for debris removal after flooding, to keep the project moving forward.
An application from Richard Allgood for a road entrance was tabled to allow time to obtain further information.
After a hearing, the fiscal 2012-2013 general budget was amended to transfer $2,049.38 from the general fund to the sick leave/reserve fund. No one attended the hearing.
Jack Cory, Trail King representative, presented specifications for a Load King rock trailer.
A resolution was approved to adopt the one-and six-year plan for highway improvement for Nemaha County for 2013-2018. No one spoke for or against the plan at a hearing which preceded the commissioners’ action.
Another resolution was approved which established load limits restrictions, application forms and permit for traffic on Nemaha County roads.
A $150 permit fee was established for permits issued for oversized vehicles and loads permitting.
The commissioners did not adopt a resolution for a 90-day load limit and took no action on a permit for HB Construction to move oversize vehicle and loads.