Two rural bridges slated to be repaired

Union County approved plans for two bridge replacements in rural parts of the county, with plans to open bids for the two projects in the summer.

Engineer Christian Boehmer presented plans for the two bridges during Wednesday’s regular meeting. Both projects will be funded through TIF funds made through the county’s windmill bonds, with no additional cost to taxpayers.

The first is an 80-feet by 24.5-feet continuous concrete slab bridge located to the east of Cherry Street on 110th Street. No letting date has been set for the project as of yet. Plans list an estimate at $616,832.10.

The second is a 120-feet by 24.5-feet continuous concrete slab bridge located on 190th Street between Cromwell and Highway 34 to the west of the SIRWA building. Boehmer said a bid letting take place July 1 for the project. Plans list an estimate of $922,613.40 for the project.

Boehmer also presented a resolution for county real estate acquisitions, which will guide the county on competitive price offers when acquiring small pieces of land during construction projects.

Boehmer said the final price could be higher or lower depending on what’s negotiated with the property owner in the case of tree removals or driveway relocations, but starting offers will be competitive for the “slivers” of land they need.

The resolution describes the average assessed land valuation of real estate in Union County to be $1,276 an acre, with the market value at $12,976 an acre.

“Our factor of 10.17 was the assessed evaluation for the true selling price for bare land in Union County, with a factor of 1.5 times the assessed valuation for acquisition of real estate for borrow projects,” the resolution reads.

In other Union County news...

An update on Green Valley Lake’s spillway project was given after Supervisor Dennis Hopkins asked about the state of concrete on the road. He noticed a higher elevation of concrete and was wondering what the plans were for tapering the road.

Boehmer said the increased elevation of the road was purposeful, allowing for construction teams to access support beams. He said that the team was “not happy” about a panel on the bridge, and said construction is extending past the original distance.

Extra work would be paid at the same contract rate agreed in the original bid, and Boehmer said the added cost will be minor in the scope of the million-dollar project.

A public hearing was set for a budget amendment. Auditor Sandy Hysell explained the changes to the budget was a net-zero change, with $94,000 listed in additional revenue and $94,000 also listed in expenses. The public hearing will take place June 3.

The revenue came from auctioned property sales from earlier this year in which the county sold land they owned in Kent and Lorimor, with the expenses toward a variety of service fees from health care to boiler and heating repairs.

An abatement for a property on 420 1/2 New York Avenue was granted to the City of Creston, abating $2,323 in outstanding property taxes while the city demolishes the property to develop new housing.