EMS radio system delayed to Aug. 1

Due to problems related to painting the Lorimor water tower, the new county-wide emergency radio system will not go live on July 1 as planned Union County Emergency Management Director Jo Duckworth said during the Union County Supervisors meeting Monday.

“Nobody is as as disappointed as I am,” Duckworth said.

Southern Iowa Regional Water Association required that the tower be painted by their contractor before the emergency radio equipment was installed. Delays in the painting schedule have now pushed the start date of the entire emergency radio project by 30 days to Aug. 1.

Dust control measure passed

Automatic placement of gravel on dust control spots will be eliminated by the county as of Jan. 1, 2021.

After allowing time for public input, the supervisors voted unanimously to end the informal policy. Residents will still be able to request dust control from independent contractors as in years past, the county will still prepare the sites by blading and smoothing the roadway, but the county will no longer foot the bill for gravel unless it is specifically needed.

Union County Engineer Zach Gunsolley was in favor of the cost cutting measure.

“You’re establishing a policy that’s clear of what you want us to do,” Gunsolley said.

The new plan could save the county up to $55,000 dollars in gravel costs.

Roads will still be maintained and graveled as needed according to the secondary roads policy of “worst-first.” Areas that need gravel are placed on a list to be fixed based on the severity of the problem. Those areas that present a public safety hazard are pushed to the head of the line. Currently the gravel list is three pages long, Gunsolley said.

If residents who are having dust control applied still wish to have new gravel laid first, they can take advantage of the county’s “Adopt a gravel road” policy. The resident pays the cost of the gravel and the county will haul and spread it.

“It’s still going to be a service,” Friday said.”All they’re going to do is pay for the gravel. You (the secondary roads department) are still going to haul it and spread it out.”

More windmill comments

The board of supervisors continues to receive public input on the subject of wind turbines. Thirteen new names were added to a previous petition to place a cap or moratorium on new wind turbines in the county. The supervisors received telephone calls and emails from residents who are against more windmills.

Several others sat in on open forum during the supervisors meeting but did not speak

Supervisor Ron Riley said he had a few calls from residents supporting the expansion of wind farms in the county. Long time local resident Russell Wachter spoke in favor of allowing the ordinance to stand as written.

“The opposition had plenty of time to show up,” Wachter said.

Riley has done some research into the process and legality of capping the number of wind turbines at 34 (the number in the current project) or declaring a moratorium on them.

The two Iowa counties who have suspended new wind farm construction have had specific reasons to do so, Riley said. They have paused in order to strengthen their ordinances and decommissioning plans, study the effect on drainage and communication systems, and to halt a foreign company that wanted to build.

“They had definite reasons,” Riley said. “To go forward … we have to have that rather than say our residents don’t like it. … We want to be careful.”

Riley said he did not yet have an answer on the legality of putting a hard cap on the number of turbines allowed in the county.

“It’s a misconception on what supervisors can and can’t do,” Riley said.

The supervisors continue to encourage public input on the matter during the next several weeks.

Test Iowa

Duckworth and Union County Public Health Nurse Robin Sevier gave updates on the Creston Test Iowa site at 801 Wyoming Ave. There was a total of 109 COVID-19 tests administered in the first week of the site, Sevier said. She did not have results back from the testing. Individual patients are receiving their results via email.

Both Duckworth and Sevier reported the number of cases of COVID-19 in Union County is holding at 10, with seven of those individuals recovered.

The Test Iowa site will be open Tuesday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday 3 to 6:30 p.m. Those interested in being tested should fill out the assessment at www.testiowa.com.

The state has requested companies begin procuring their own personal protective equipment instead of ordering it through emergency management. The supplies are no longer considered scarce, Duckworth said.

Duckworth said the state is preparing in case there is a second wave of COVID-19 illnesses this fall. The state is sending 30 days worth of personal protection equipment and other needed items to be stored at the Union County Emergency Management building. The supply for nine area counties will be sent to Union County, Duckworth said. The individual counties can then decide to store them there or find a climate-controlled storage space for them in their own county.

Vehicle purchase

The supervisors approved the purchase of a 2020 Dodge Durango to replace the current jail car 2 to 1, with Friday voting no.

The vehicle is used to transport prisoners and mental health committals in order to save wear and tear on the sheriff’s vehicles, chief deputy Steve Maitlen said.

The cost of the vehicle, which is pursuit rated but does not have the hemi motor like most patrol vehicles, is $17,900. Maitlen said the money being spent comes from “excess” funds from cost saving measures the department has used throughout the year. He said, even with the cost of the vehicle, the department will still be under budget at the end of the fiscal year. The current vehicle has nearly 100,000 miles on it and would have needed to be replaced next year whether there was a budget surplus or not.

The sheriff’s department approached the three local new car dealerships for bids for the vehicle, but only M&M Motors was able to provide a bid at this time due to manufacturing delays from COVID-19 shutdowns.

In other county business:

• two utility permits were approved for SIRWA and MidAmerican Energy to place needed lines under county roads.

• a public hearing date of 10 a.m. July 6 was set for vacating a portion Ivy Avenue north of 240th Street.