Rain causing trouble with roads

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• Two-day rainfall total is near record for Mitchell

Highway Superintendent Rusty Weinberg told the Davison County commissioners at the courthouse Thursday that recent heavy rains were the last thing his highway crews needed.

Between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain fell on area roads early Thursday, and more is expected.

“We were getting to the point where our roads were just starting to heal (dry) up,” Weinberg said. The additional rain means that road work will have to be postponed.

“Two or 3 inches of rain will easily put us back two or three weeks,” he said. Problems with soft roads are worse in northern sections of the county, Weinberg said, but soft spots exist in many locations.

The main problem facing many county and township roads is that excessive water is causing heavier base gravel to mix with less substantial road materials that were used when some of the county’s gravel roads were originally built.

Poor drainage in some locations further complicates the drying-out process, he said, and trucks are not lightening loads to compensate for poor road conditions.

Weinberg was at Thursday’s meeting to request a $64,000 budget supplement to purchase 20,000 tons of gravel. The gravel won’t be much help until the rains stop, he said.

Mark Schilling, chairman of the Mitchell Township Board, told the commissioners that his township plans to spend $100,000 to $130,000 to gravel about 10 miles of township road. The township will contract with the county to grade and shape the roads.

The township will bid and purchase the gravel based upon Weinberg’s advice.

Mitchell Township has $564,324 remaining in its secondary road account that can be used for road repair and maintenance. The township will submit bills to Kiepke for payment.

Weinberg said patience will be needed until crews have reasonable working conditions.

“The public’s been very good about bearing with us,” he said.

Tie vote

In other business, a tie in a minor precinct contest will require a recount of 113 ballots cast in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

The commissioners, sitting Thursday as the county canvassing board, approved the results of Tuesday’s primary and certified the tie vote, triggering the need for an automatic recount.

Former commissioner Bernie Schmucker was appointed to the canvassing board in the absence of Commissioner John Claggett, who was out of town on business.

Karen Jorgenson and Carol Millan each received 43 votes in the race for precinctwoman of Beulah, Lisbon, Prosper and the south half of Mitchell Township, and Judy Kenton received 18 votes. Not all voters chose to vote for the precinctwoman position, Auditor Susan Kiepke said.

The ballots in question will officially be recounted at 9 a.m. Monday in the commissioner’s room at the courthouse.

The recount must follow strict legal procedures, Kiepke said. That requires the creation of a three-person recount board that includes a recount referee and two additional members.

Kiepke said Judge Sean O’Brien on Wednesday appointed Deputy State’s Attorney Jim Taylor as recount referee and state Sen. Mike Vehle and Mitchell Councilman Mel Olson to the recount board.

Official notification letters were sent to the three on Wednesday, Kiepke said. State law provides that the recount referee must receive the same $82 per hour rate normally paid court-appointed attorneys. The other two board members will each receive $25 a day.

If a tie still exists following the recount, then state law provides that a winner will be selected —at a time and place to be determined — by the drawing of lots.

Public input

During the meeting’s public commentary segment:

- Bryan VanderPol, of VanderPol Dragline, commented on his $515,000 bid for demolition of the Tower Building. The bid was for a fall start, and a winter completion, VanderPol said, but his crews will likely begin the project in the summer and finish up around Thanksgiving to avoid winter weather. The commissioners will consider awarding the demolition contract later this month.

- Commissioners heard from Weed Superintendent John Geidel that the county will soon have to spray a 57-acre pasture west of Mitchell to control leafy spurge. The landowner will be billed.

Board of Adjustment

Sitting as the Board of Adjustment, the commissioners approved:

- A property line variance request by Joe Puetz for property in Prosper Township.

- A request from Chris Nebelsick for a variance in lot size to create a new parcel to build a residence.

- A request for a variance of 50 feet to the west property line to move a garage onto property owned by Dean Robideau.