We are finally supposed to have nearly a full week of nice spring weather before our next chance of rain this coming weekend. This past week was more of the same old; cold temperatures and too much rain. I am told that if it does rain this next Sunday, Easter Sunday, then it will rain seven consecutive Sundays thereafter. I certainly hope not. We are starting the same pattern that we have faced the last two years with above normal moisture and below average temperatures. The science fiction forecasters are predicting temperatures in the 70s this week with wind gusts Tuesday and Wednesday 25 to 30 miles per hour. That is exactly what we need to dry up the saturated fields and begin preparation for corn planting. It certainly would be nice to get all the corn crop planted in a timely fashion for a change rather than fighting the weather all the way up into June like the past two years.
The weather is looking like it will begin to cooperate for county road and bridge work and for the townships to get out and begin to get some of the ruts and side hill sink holes filled in. I am receiving the normal telephone calls concerning road problems and as always, will pass those on to the appropriate township personnel. I have stated many times that it is the responsibility of the townships to provide road maintenance but I certainly am available for calls, and if there is a need, go look at the issue and then make an effort to get the problem resolved.
The county will host a meeting this week with all of the 15 townships' personnel that are interested in attending including the board members, clerks, and operators. This annual event was started a few years ago to keep everyone informed of mutual interests and problems and also gives everyone an opportunity to voice opinions on how to better serve the rural residents. The agenda this year will be a presentation from a local law firm that handles the rock bonds for the townships and two of our local rock quarries will have personnel in attendance to explain rock quality, gradation, and to answer questions and concerns. I will elaborate more next week on all of the issues discussed.
I was chastised this past week by a Hopkins constituent on my lack of knowledge concerning local geography when I gave the description of where our 2010 Bridge Replacement Off-System (BRO) structure is to be constructed. I had pointed out that the work will be in the Hopkins area on 142nd Street east of Missouri Route KK. I should have stated east of Missouri Route AC but I will defend my error. The new bridge is east of Missouri Route KK, even if it is approximately 18 miles from that road. Okay, I give up; I messed up. I gave the description of one of the Community Development Block Grant Bridges, #28, that is in the Elmo area east of Missouri Route KK.
The commission is anxious to get to work on all of our projects including the afore mentioned BRO structure. We have equipment on site at Road #510 or Galaxy Road north of Missouri Route 46 west of the Nodaway Nursing Home and have the old structure removed, have begun driving sheet piling, and are about ready to install the H-piling that holds up the structure. We hope that if good weather stays, we will get this new bridge in within a few weeks and move on to the next project. We have not picked the next bridge as of yet but will probably do so this week so we have all the materials at the road and bridge headquarters so they are available to go on site. We will begin our tube replacement efforts in earnest also this next week due to the roads finally getting dried our enough that we can haul the heavy equipment to the sites without cutting deep ruts. We have several of these replacement culverts along roads throughout the county that were not installed before winter shut down our efforts. The commission also took bids on replacement culverts several weeks ago and we have many at the road and bridge headquarters.
I was asked this past week by several people who were curious about an issue that was reported in the commission minutes. A company, Waterborne, inquired about setting up equipment here in Nodaway County to test water quality. Apparently they are employed by Syngenta, a nationally known manufacturer of farm herbicides, that is under a mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to check water quality in several states throughout the nation.
Waterborne wished to put monitoring equipment on Road #577 or 270th Street west of hawk Road south and west of the Maryville Municipal Airport at White Cloud Creek. Waterborne needs to analyze the creek water for two to three years for physical analysis including erosion, silt, temperature, and salinity. They will also monitor weather data including normal flow conditions, flood stage, and channel stabilization during abnormal periods. They also wish to check the stream for chemical analysis, mainly for atrazine, a well proven and valuable tool for farmers controlling weeds in corn. The commission was concerned that this study may be detrimental to our farmer friends but after inquiring with the Missouri Farm Bureau and both Syngenta and Waterborne, we felt that this was a necessary test that not only was mandated by EPA, but could be useful for practical purposes. Syngenta reported that of the 40 to 50 sites that have been scrutinized nationwide, only three showed any abnormalities in atrazine runoff. This is good news.
Although the commission could not allow the testing equipment placed on our right-of-way due to a planned bridge replacement next year, a landowner near the bridge has expressed willingness to allow the equipment to be placed and monitored on his private property.
I will continue to keep everyone informed of this two- to three-year ongoing study. In the meantime let the sun shine, the wind blow, and the morels start growing. Gus and I spent this past weekend putting our mushroom decoys out so it surely will not be long before the harvest is ready. We have the chainsaws sharpened.
–Joe Baumli is the presiding county commissioner of Nodaway County and provides a weekly column for the Maryville Daily Forum
