State lowers weight limits on two bridges

Red Willow County commissioners learned during their weekly meeting Monday that the Nebraska Department of Roads has reduced the tonnage on two of the county's bridges.

According to information from the DOR, the load ratings have been reduced on the 26-year-old timber stringer bridge east of Lebanon, from 23 tons to 17 tons; and on the 73-year-old timber stringer bridge on Willow Creek north of Southwest High School, from 10 tons to eight tons.

Commission Chairman Earl McNutt said the ratings were not reduced because the bridges are unsafe or deficient. He said that the changes are precautionary measures that are common as bridge structures age. "They're not unsafe," McNutt said. "It's just that with age and repairs through the years, bridges needed different ratings."

McNutt agreed to attend an upcoming two-day "Contract Administration Core Curriculum" workshop required for representatives of local public agencies that participate in federal aid-funded construction projects.

The course will cover contract provisions and administrative procedures, and applying policies related to federal-aid transportation projects. Satisfactory completion of the coursework will allow the LPA representative to oversee federal-aid projects within their jurisdictions.

Speaking of federal aid projects, county roads superintendent Gary Dicenta told commissioners that he will submit federal funding applications for three paving projects that are awaiting state funding assistance. "They're already in the process," said McNutt; Dicenta added, "sitting in Lincoln."

Dicenta said that it doesn't cost the county anything to submit the federal funding applications, "so I'll go ahead and submit them," he told commissioners.

"It would be a nice bailout for us ... stumbling across some 100 percent funding," McNutt mused.

The three paving projects the county wants to complete are 11⁄2 miles south of the Perry elevator, 21⁄2 miles north on East 11th and seven miles north of Indianola.

In other action, commissioners:

* Approved Drawdown No. 9, of $24,609, for the Hilton Farm Eco Retreat project near Cambridge. Andela Taylor, coordinator of the project and grant recipient, has expended $171,001 thus far on the project: $119,547 on land and building; $26,556 on public facilities; $19,538 on machinery and equipment; and $5,360 on general administration. The project is scheduled to open in the spring.

* Learned in a CDBG accounts update that Accents ETC. is delinquent one month on its repayment of a loan from the county's revolving loan fund.

Pawnee Aviation is also delinquent, and commissioners will request an update on a lawsuit against Pawnee from county attorney Paul Wood at their Dec. 15 meeting.