Supervisors to consider walk bridge contract
Dec. 26—OTTUMWA — The Wapello County Board of Supervisors is expected to consider approving a contract for the Wabash Railroad pedestrian bridge during Tuesday's meeting, the final one of the year.
Bids for the work were opened last week, and the low bidder was Iowa Bridge & Culvert for just over $428,000. The work will include replacing the 110-foot span that was burned out during a fire early in the year.
Klingner & Associates was the engineering firm charged with creating plans for the bridge, but it was deemed to be eight feet short on length based on prior Iowa Department of Transportation guidelines.
While Iowa Bridge & Culvert is expected to perform that work, the supervisors also are putting together an application to IDOT to complete the work by replacing the burned-out port of the bridge beyond the entry span. Completion of that work will then allow the bridge to be reopened to pedestrian traffic, and the supervisors were hopefully that could happen next spring.
The supervisors are also expected to approve Jeff Layton for another five-year term to the county conservation board, as well as re-appointing Deb Fenton-Roe and Stephen Croft to spots on the county veterans affairs board.
Also, the supervisors will consider a contribution to a proposed campground development project at the county fairgrounds in Eldon. As part of the project, the county fair board is looking to secure a grant to replace aging electrical infrastructure, while also building an RV park on the campground.
The fair board did not specify an amount to its letter to the supervisors, but it is anticipated the RV park would help attract tourists to the area and the American Gothic House landmark. The park would be located 10 minutes south of U.S. 34.
The supervisors are also expected to consider a contribution to the First Presbyterian Church food pantry. A specific contribution wasn't given in the church's letter to the board, but the church has cited rising costs of furnishing food boxes for about 300 households in Wapello County.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor courtroom/board room of the courthouse.
— Chad Drury can be reached at cdrury@ottumwacourier.com, and on Twitter @ChadDrury
