The prolonged dry spell has been a thorn for Bill King, director of Public Works for Allen County.
Rock roads — of which the county has about 900 miles — haven’t fared well, he told county commissioners Tuesday morning.
“We have a lot of washboarding and it’s not ideal to try to smooth them out but it’s better than nothing,” King said.
If there is a silver lining, it’s that grass and weeds along roads haven’t grown as much during the summer, which mean mowers didn’t have to be dispatched as often. Now, King said, “we’re trimming along hard-surfaced roads,” wrapping up that phase of county duties with cold weather not too far off.
The county’s new supply of salt to mix with small-dimension rock to treat icy and snow-packed roads is due by Dec. 1, King said.
“We have enough on hand to get by until then,” provided winter doesn’t arrive early with a vengeance, he said.
JOE WEINER, who leveled and shored up the east side of the Humboldt Senior Citizens Center, will do the same to the west side.
The center is a mating of two old store buildings, connected by a large door cut in a common wall years ago.
Weiner’s bid was $3,374 to level the floor and replace floor joists with new timber supported by piers in the basement. Several other improvements were mentioned, but commissioners put off contracting any further work.
COMMISSIONERS gave County Clerk Sherrie Riebel permission to put out boxes to collect non-perishable items for the Iola Ministerial Alliance’s Community Food Pantry.
Riebel said the Nebraska Clerks Association members challenged their Kansas counterparts to see which state could accumulate the most food for benevolent purposes between Oct. 31 and Nov. 21. Each dollar in cash donated will count as one food item.
The winning state will have the satisfaction of bragging rights.
The Iola pantry, open Tuesday and Thursday mornings, serves all of Allen County.
At the request of Alfred Link of the Veterans Committee, commissioners approved opening the courthouse from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 12 to accommodate people attending the Veterans Day Parade and program.
