We are finally getting some relief from the hot humid days that plagued us for several weeks here in Nodaway County. The cool front that moved through our area this past weekend not only brought us some much needed rain, even as "spotty" as it was, but cool temperatures that seem almost cold in the early morning hours and late evenings. It is a welcome change after watching the corn leaves roll up tight and the soybeans go almost dormant with the blooms drying up and falling off. If we can get some more rain this week that the science fiction forecasters are stating we have a chance of, the crops will improve tremendously. The early planted corn changed significantly this past week and it is quite possible that there may be some of it ready for harvest within a month or so. I was visiting with a Nodaway County landowner that lives on the east coast and she stated during her annual visit to our area that she could not believe nor remember so many acres that did not get planted due to wet weather. There is little doubt that our farmers need good prices for their crops this year due to high input costs and the difficulty they had getting them planted.
The dry weather is allowing the road and bridge crews to get some much needed repair work done all over the county. The wet year has delayed several projects that were not replacement efforts but repair jobs. Numerous tubes have been washing through and around the ends and the crews are addressing several of them. We also have many bridges that have old wood backing at the approaches that have either rotted or the ever widening streams have washed around them. The crews are working at several sites replacing the backing with metal sheet piling and repairing the approaches. The commission certainly appreciates everyone's patience concerning their inconvenience but it has been a difficult year. Actually we have had four wet years now in a row and it seems like every time we get one job completed, two or three more show up making it difficult to get ahead of the work load.
Although we are taking care of numerous repair issues, we are still moving forward with at least two more bridge replacements this construction season. We will be opening bids soon for the material for one of these projects and just as soon as some minor paperwork is completed, we will make preparations to get the materials for the other. The numerous tube replacements we have "tackled" this season is depleting our supply of metal culverts quickly and our local supplier, Maryville Metal Culvert, is making every effort possible to keep us supplied. I often mention these folk and can not compliment them enough. Our local residents just do not realize how fortunate we are to have this company here in our community that employees local workers and make every effort possible not only to keep us supplied with our normal needs but emergency issues as well. If we had to haul the county's culvert needs hundreds of miles it would be difficult to keep our vast infrastructure safe for travel. I have often mentioned that not only does the county have the most miles of rural roads and bridges in the state, but we have thousands of tubes in the area also. Although many of these, less than 30 inches in diameter, are the townships' responsibility, the county still must take care of thousands larger than 30 inches. The townships also receive a tremendous benefit from having a local manufacturer of culverts that keep them available for their needs.
One of the most "visible" signs of improvement in the county is the work progression on the courthouse. The roof has been removed for a week or so, all of the metal trim on the tower gone, and the workers are now getting the brick structure at the very top ready for the new roof cap that will support the tower replica. Approximately two to three feet of brick at the top needs removed and replaced to integrate the new wood into the tower structure. These efforts will also utilize steel columns that are put down inside the tower and attached not only to the existing brick work, but also will be integrated into the new brick at the top and the wood deck. All of this work will stabilize the structure and keep it standing strong for generations to come.
The sandstone trim on the east and west sides of the courthouse are also getting attention from a professional restoration company that specializes in this type of work. I reported some time past that our courthouse trim is not limestone but sandstone that was quarried at Parkville, Missouri. Sandstone is a lighter and more porous material than limestone and is more prone to moisture and deterioration. The areas on the columns and trim that are showing signs of distress are being removed by chipping and grinding and then are patched with a repair material that hopefully will help keep moisture from softening the limestone. The tower construction efforts on the west side of the building are hindering their efforts in that area but they are construction workers that are accustomed to working with other facets of needs on buildings and are getting the job done. We hope that this portion of the repairs, sandstone work, will be completed later this month or in early September.
The work on the tower structure will take several months to complete. The metal fabrication company in Saint Joseph is working on their portion of the job duplicating the trim. Some of the metal has intricate designs and details and they assure us that it will look just like the original. The clock shafts that came through the tower wall and ran the "hands" have been removed so the old "faces" can be replaced. The four faces, which actually are very crude wood boards, will be replaced with metal making the tower water tight. This also will help keep the building weatherproof.
I will continue to give an update on these efforts as well as our infrastructure work. I also need mention that Bob Westfall is improving and back to work after his recent hospital "visit." Call or come by the commissioners' office; no appointment is necessary.We are finally getting some relief from the hot humid days that plagued us for several weeks here in Nodaway County. The cool front that moved through our area this past weekend not only brought us some much needed rain, even as "spotty" as it was, but cool temperatures that seem almost cold in the early morning hours and late evenings. It is a welcome change after watching the corn leaves roll up tight and the soybeans go almost dormant with the blooms drying up and falling off. If we can get some more rain this week that the science fiction forecasters are stating we have a chance of, the crops will improve tremendously. The early planted corn changed significantly this past week and it is quite possible that there may be some of it ready for harvest within a month or so. I was visiting with a Nodaway County landowner that lives on the east coast and she stated during her annual visit to our area that she could not believe nor remember so many acres that did not get planted due to wet weather. There is little doubt that our farmers need good prices for their crops this year due to high input costs and the difficulty they had getting them planted.
The dry weather is allowing the road and bridge crews to get some much needed repair work done all over the county. The wet year has delayed several projects that were not replacement efforts but repair jobs. Numerous tubes have been washing through and around the ends and the crews are addressing several of them. We also have many bridges that have old wood backing at the approaches that have either rotted or the ever widening streams have washed around them. The crews are working at several sites replacing the backing with metal sheet piling and repairing the approaches. The commission certainly appreciates everyone's patience concerning their inconvenience but it has been a difficult year. Actually we have had four wet years now in a row and it seems like every time we get one job completed, two or three more show up making it difficult to get ahead of the work load.
Although we are taking care of numerous repair issues, we are still moving forward with at least two more bridge replacements this construction season. We will be opening bids soon for the material for one of these projects and just as soon as some minor paperwork is completed, we will make preparations to get the materials for the other. The numerous tube replacements we have "tackled" this season is depleting our supply of metal culverts quickly and our local supplier, Maryville Metal Culvert, is making every effort possible to keep us supplied. I often mention these folk and can not compliment them enough. Our local residents just do not realize how fortunate we are to have this company here in our community that employees local workers and make every effort possible not only to keep us supplied with our normal needs but emergency issues as well. If we had to haul the county's culvert needs hundreds of miles it would be difficult to keep our vast infrastructure safe for travel. I have often mentioned that not only does the county have the most miles of rural roads and bridges in the state, but we have thousands of tubes in the area also. Although many of these, less than 30 inches in diameter, are the townships' responsibility, the county still must take care of thousands larger than 30 inches. The townships also receive a tremendous benefit from having a local manufacturer of culverts that keep them available for their needs.
One of the most "visible" signs of improvement in the county is the work progression on the courthouse. The roof has been removed for a week or so, all of the metal trim on the tower gone, and the workers are now getting the brick structure at the very top ready for the new roof cap that will support the tower replica. Approximately two to three feet of brick at the top needs removed and replaced to integrate the new wood into the tower structure. These efforts will also utilize steel columns that are put down inside the tower and attached not only to the existing brick work, but also will be integrated into the new brick at the top and the wood deck. All of this work will stabilize the structure and keep it standing strong for generations to come.
The sandstone trim on the east and west sides of the courthouse are also getting attention from a professional restoration company that specializes in this type of work. I reported some time past that our courthouse trim is not limestone but sandstone that was quarried at Parkville, Missouri. Sandstone is a lighter and more porous material than limestone and is more prone to moisture and deterioration. The areas on the columns and trim that are showing signs of distress are being removed by chipping and grinding and then are patched with a repair material that hopefully will help keep moisture from softening the limestone. The tower construction efforts on the west side of the building are hindering their efforts in that area but they are construction workers that are accustomed to working with other facets of needs on buildings and are getting the job done. We hope that this portion of the repairs, sandstone work, will be completed later this month or in early September.
The work on the tower structure will take several months to complete. The metal fabrication company in Saint Joseph is working on their portion of the job duplicating the trim. Some of the metal has intricate designs and details and they assure us that it will look just like the original. The clock shafts that came through the tower wall and ran the "hands" have been removed so the old "faces" can be replaced. The four faces, which actually are very crude wood boards, will be replaced with metal making the tower water tight. This also will help keep the building weatherproof.
I will continue to give an update on these efforts as well as our infrastructure work. I also need mention that Bob Westfall is improving and back to work after his recent hospital "visit." Call or come by the commissioners' office; no appointment is necessary.
–Joe Baumli is the presiding county commissioner of Nodaway County and provides a weekly column for the Maryville Daily Forum
