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US 52 "Closed All Summer"
County Commissioners - April 4, 2016
- The commissioners heard about upcoming road closures on state highways. They selected a new tractor and mower costing $63,400 and eased the rules for bid bonds.
- Wolf Creek Road will get a new bridge this summer.
US 52 CLOSED ALL SUMMER NEAR NEW TRENTON
US Highway 52 will be "closed all summer," said the commissioners after hearing about roadwork near New Trenton. Highway Engineer Ted Cooley reported that state contractors started clearing trees in the area. Over the next three months, traffic will be maintained by using flaggers while utility lines are moved.
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) plans to replace a culvert located east of New Trenton near Wesling Road in Dearborn County. That work will close US 52 for 60 days beginning in mid-July.
Next, INDOT will also replace a culvert located west of New Trenton and 600 feet east of Elkhorn Road. That work will close US 52 for 30 days beginning in early October. The construction should be completed by November 11, 2016.
St. Peters Road will be the unofficial detour for local residents. Truck traffic will be directed to use SR 46 or Interstate 74. The county is responsible for erecting barricades to keep truck traffic off New Trenton Hill and St. Peters Road.
Other closures include Huntersville Road at Interstate 74 in Ray Township for several weeks beginning in June or early July.
NO DATE FOR SR 1 CLOSURE
INDOT official Greg Prince will attend the county commissioners meeting on April 11 to discuss the closure of State Road 1 at US Highway 52 for 90 days for bridge repairs. The contract will be awarded in the fall of 2016. No date has been announced for the closure.
GIVE A FULL ACCOUNTING
Betty Lecher read from State Auditor Suzanne Crouch's recent letter to the editor, which talked about government accountability and transparency as "a fundamental principal of a free society." Then Mrs. Lecher addressed Commissioner Tom Wilson and asked for a full accounting for the cost of the new Stockpile Road Bridge #168, including "In House" expenditures for county labor and equipment. Her "Freedom of Information" request asked for a written report within two weeks. She also asked that the report be signed by both the Highway Department secretary and Commissioner Wilson, who oversaw the Highway Department as part of his duties in 2015.
Commissioner Wilson replied, "I think you have already received the itemized statement." He noted that County Engineer Ted Cooley signed the earlier report. Mrs. Lecher told Commissioner Wilson that he should sign the report as the head of the Highway Department.
"KICKING THE TIRES"
Commissioner Linkel presented a comparison of bids opened last week for a new tractor and mower for the Highway Department as well as a new loader for the Transfer Station.
Commissioner Linkel wanted to accept the low bid from Zimmer Tractor for a Kubota tractor and mower at $63,400 including trade-in. Commissioner Roberts agreed that the bid met the specifications, but questioned if this equipment would meet the needs of the Highway Department. He talked about the engine size, fuel tank capacity, tire size and overall weight of 6,600 pounds. All of these features were smaller than comparable John Deere and Case IH tractors, according to Commissioner Roberts. He said that the Kubota would run out of fuel in six hours at full throttle. Commissioner Roberts noted that tractors had changed in the last 20 years and all manufacturers offer several models with the specified 100 horsepower engine.
The expandable mower arm was the next item the two commissioners debated, followed by the trade-in price.
Finally, all commissioners voted in favor of buying a new Kubota tractor and mower from Zimmer Tractor pending county council's approval. Both Commissioners Roberts and Wilson said they personally own Kubota equipment.
Tires were one of the stumbling blocks in considering the low bid of $141,250 for a new loader from MH Equipment. Their bid did not include radial tires, which made a big difference in price. Commissioner Roberts pointed out that the bid specifications did not ask for radial tires.
Commissioner Linkel said that his analysis indicated no manufacturer could meet all of the bid specifications.
Then the other commissioners learned that another company, Murphy Tractor Equipment, sent a bid to Commissioner Linkel via email before the deadline. However, Commissioner Linkel had not seen it at the time that they opened bids. Commissioners' attorney John Worth advised that they could not consider the bid by email. Commissioner Linkel commented that electronic bids are a common practice in his business.
Commissioner Roberts asked if Commissioner Linkel is interested in the John Deere loader offered by Murphy Tractor Equipment. Commissioner Linkel said that he does want to consider the John Deere loader.
Commissioner Linkel proposed rejecting all current bids and soliciting new bids including radial tires and instructions about whether they would accept bids by email. He acknowledged that this action was not fair to the two original bidders, because their prices were publicly announced, but Murphy Equipment's was not.
Commissioner Roberts said that the original bid from MH Equipment was acceptable to him. He suggested that they look at MH's product before making a decision and all agreed.
NO MORE EQUIPMENT BID BONDS
Franklin County commissioners agreed to no longer require companies to submit bonds when bidding on equipment. Commissioner Linkel made the proposal and gave several reasons. He said that it was unfair to companies to tie up hundreds or thousands of dollars of their money. Also, he said that someone could break into the Government Center and steal those certified bid bond checks. Finally, Ohio companies are not required to have bonds for equipment bids.
The commissioners also voted to return all pending bid bonds for equipment purchases.
FOUR FOR FEDERAL FUNDING
County Engineer Ted Cooley will ask for Federal Highway Funding for four projects and he hopes to get approval for two of them. The money would not be available for actual construction until July 2020.
Topping the list is a major project for St. Mary's Road. It would include stabilizing St. Mary's Road along the Whitewater River, replacing a bridge in the area and rehabilitating 1.5 miles of St. Mary's from Brookville to Levee Road. Mr. Cooley presented photos and prices from one contractor. Soil nailing along 206 feet in the slide area would cost $289,000 plus $71,000 for other work. Mr. Cooley said that other stabilization methods would cost even more money - 1.5 times more than soil nailing.
From the audience St. Mary's Road resident and County Council President Becky Oglesby suggested that the commissioners pay for a boring test to locate the bedrock and check the hillside's stability. Her advice came from her brother-in-law who does this type of work. The commissioners agreed to get quotes for a boring test estimated to cost $20,000.
The commissioners and Ms. Oglesby talked about taking action now. Waiting for federal money in 2020 may be too late. Commissioner Wilson talked about farmers losing cropland to river flooding. Ms. Oglesby said, "It's the farmer's fault, if you farm right to the riverbank." Commissioner Linkel gave his opinion that 150 acres of trees are currently stabilizing the riverbank in this area.
The second project is installing guardrails throughout the county. The state encouraged Mr. Cooley to re-submit this project, which was not funded previously. This work would require a 10% match by the county, whereas the other projects would require 20%.
Third is a major pavement rehabilitation of two miles of eligible county roads. Mr. Cooley handed out a map showing eligible roads in purple such as St. Mary's Road, Oxford Pike and St. Peter's Rd. The commissioners wanted to know if more than 2 miles could be done. It depends on the federal money and how much the county can afford to spend for its 20% match. A $1 million project would require a $200,000 match by the county.
The commissioners asked about dividing Federal Highway Funding between the three parts of the county that they oversee. Commissioner Roberts pointed out that residents travel throughout the county, not just in their own neighborhood. He also said that it did not make sense to make major improvements for one section of a long road. Traffic would speed up on the new portion, only to slow down when returning to the unimproved part.
The fourth project for possible federal funding is bridgework. Mr. Cooley said that North Hamburg Bridge #31 over Bullfork Creek needs repairs. It is on the bridge inspector's list of the 19 worst bridges in the county.
From the audience, Betty Lecher said that this will be the third bridge built in this location over Bullfork Creek within her 70-year lifetime. The first bridge was a double arch cement bridge; the second, a steel truss bridge; and now another new one.
Mr. Cooley wants to do deck overlays on four bridges on Blue Creek Road that were built in the early 1960s. He said that performing this preventive maintenance will save the county from replacing entire bridge decks.
ADD A TRAIL ON CAUSEWAY BRIDGE
Mr. Cooley has been talking with state officials about their ideas for extending a hike/bike trail across Fairfield Causeway Bridge. A meeting will be scheduled with the commissioners.
PAVEMENT STUDY
Last week, the commissioners opened bids for pavement studies that cost $92,400 and $103,000. This type of study is required before the county can qualify for new 50% grant funding from the state for road improvements. This week, Mr. Cooley offered an option costing $41,800 for a study of up to 620 miles of roads conducted by Shawn Strange of First Group Engineering of Indianapolis. No decision was made about awarding the contract.
The commissioners asked Luke Kahren of American Structurepoint, Inc. when his firm could complete a pavement study. He said it usually takes 7 to 8 months, but maybe only 4 months, if local resident Tom Carrow is available to do the work. Mr. Kahren will attend county council's meeting on April 26 to explain the benefits of a pavement study.
NEW WOLF CREEK ROAD BRIDGE THIS SUMMER
Mr. Cooley received approval from the commissioners to proceed with plans to replace Wolf Creek Road Bridge #139.
The commissioners already have one quote of $119,922 from E&H Bridge for a new 62-foot long and 24-foot wide steel-beam bridge with steel grid deck This week, Mr. Cooley presented another quote of $110,000 for a steel beam bridge with a concrete deck from US Bridge. Their lower price did not include concrete, but did include delivery and other features. Commissioner Wilson complained about the quote from US Bridge not including everything. Marty Hon from E&H Bridge said that his firm could also provide a concrete deck bridge and the same features offered by US Bridge.
From the audience, the question was asked which type of bridge has a longer life span. The answer was both should last 100 years.
The commissioners voted to purchase the new bridge from E&H Bridge contingent upon county council approving the funding. Mr. Cooley said the total cost is now estimated to be $250,000. In the last discussion, the price was $226,000 without fixing a "skew" in the road near the bridge. Mr. Cooley will plan for straightening the "skew", which will increase the road speed limit from 10 mph to 25 mph. Construction should be in August.
The next meeting is Monday, April 11, at 10am.
Reported by Sara Duffy | 
