By: Matt Scher, matts@977thebolt.com
Dakota City, IA – The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors discussed road conditions, pavement markings, equipment funding and mental health services during Tuesday morning’s meeting.
Humboldt County Engineer Ben Loots presented two options for the county’s pavement-marking program.
The county’s current policy calls for edge-line striping on roads with at least 200 vehicles per day, while excluding roads that are scheduled for an overlay. Loots said the county is currently on roughly a three-year rotation for edge-line striping, with approximately 50 to 60 miles remaining.
A proposed change would have added edge lines to roads carrying at least 500 vehicles per day, adding approximately 35 miles to the program. Loots estimated the cost at approximately $800 to $1,000 per mile.
After discussion, supervisors decided to remain with the existing policy rather than expand the program.
Loots said pavement markings, including symbols and stop bars, are expected to begin later this week or early next week, with additional striping work to follow.
Supervisors also discussed the condition of Georgia Avenue north of Humboldt, where truck traffic associated with a quarry has increased significantly. Loots said the road previously carried only about five to 10 vehicles per day before the quarry began using it as a primary access route.
He said the road was not originally designed for the amount of traffic it is now receiving.
Loots said a permanent fix would require substantial reconstruction. One option would be to temporarily route traffic onto 205th Street while Georgia Avenue is rebuilt. That work could include cutting ditches, adding roughly a foot of ballast and another foot of roadstone, and rebuilding the road to improve its crown and drainage.
Supervisors acknowledged the road has suffered from the increased traffic but said the current route was selected in part to keep heavy truck traffic away from more populated areas around Rutland.
Loots also told supervisors the county is applying for a Volkswagen settlement-related emissions reduction grant.
If approved, the grant could cover approximately 35 percent of the cost of new dump trucks, or roughly $100,000 per truck.
The county is seeking funding for three trucks, two 2007 Sterling trucks used by Secondary Roads and a 2006 Sterling used by Conservation.
Loots said the application is expected to be completed by the end of the week, with applications due sometime next month.
The county also recently received equipment through a grant for lighted chevrons and stop signs, with installation expected soon.
Crisis Liaison Alison Hauser presented an update on the first fiscal year of her grant-funded program serving Humboldt and Pocahontas counties.
Hauser said the program served 189 people during the first year. She said approximately 70 percent of her referrals came through law enforcement, while the program also works with schools, hospitals, jails, probation and other agencies.
Hauser described one client whose repeated interactions with law enforcement, emergency rooms, ambulances and inpatient care were significantly reduced after he was connected with appropriate housing and services.
She said the program can help reduce costs to the community while also providing people with longer-term support. Hauser said she plans to track referrals more closely during the next fiscal year to identify gaps in available services.
One concern she highlighted was the lack of resources for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia who do not yet require nursing-home care but generate repeated law-enforcement calls.
Hauser said she currently has approximately six people across the two counties in that situation and plans to use information gathered through the program to identify service gaps for the state.
She also said she is exploring the possibility of obtaining an intern to help with data collection and potentially expand the model to other communities.