Water lines may be laid across the lawn outside Allen County Courthouse to make it easier to water trees and grass.
Iolan Don Hillbrant asked commissioners Tuesday to consider the project, which first was mentioned several years ago.
Hillbrant said when the idea first surfaced, Iola agreed to provide water and his assumption was that the promise would be honored.
“Ron Holman (maintenance supervisor) has done a great job of caring for the grounds, but he can not carry water to new shrubbery,” Hillbrant said.
Chairman Dick Works said commissioners would consider the proposal.
“We know it’s needed,” he said, and that when it first came up a bid of $3,000 prompted them to put off the project because of budget constraints. The project would entail making water available at several points on the lawn, not an underground watering system.
Works said more trees scattered about the lawn would be good, to which Hillbrant replied sooner rather than later would be better.
“Trees don’t grow quickly,” he said.
Bill King, director of Public Works, said an engineering field check was scheduled Friday for the old iron bridge that crosses Owl Creek about two miles west of Humboldt.
“It’s been in the works for quite a while and construction is expected to start early in 2014,” he said, with completion in six to eight months.
Also, King said his crews would remove snow this winter from Oregon Road and Kentucky Street near the new Allen County Regional Hospital, and would consider snow removal on parking lots near the hospital.
In another hospital matter, Counselor Alan Weber asked an easement be approved for utility lines Iola extended to the hospital. The proposal met no opposition.
Commissioners approved purchase of a new Ford truck for the sheriff’s department at a cost of $26,000, with trade, from Twin Motors, Iola. The bid was the lower of two. They also approved purchase of a dump bed from Davis Trailer and Truck Equipment, Little Rock, Ark. The Davis bid of $9,350 was the lowest of three.
