Design approved, bid date set for Public Safety Facility

   Two pieces of action on the new Public Safety Facility project were approved by the Jones County Board of Supervisors during its regular meeting May 20.

   The board approved both a bid date – June 17 – and a design plan, as presented by Darci Merrill of Solum Lang Architects, LLC, Cedar Rapids.

   The $1.25 million project will be offered for bid including three stages. The base will be an 80-by-80-foot mass storage facility.

   Depending upon how the bids come in, there are options to include both a 70-by-32 classroom/training facility, and an 80-by-20 addition to the mass storage portion.

   A public hearing was held before discussion and voting took place, but no public comments were offered.

   The purpose of the project is to house equipment and vehicles for Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Department, and other county departments.

   Land for the facility was purchased by the county in the Anamosa Commercial Park off Highway 151 and Circle Drive.

In other board business:

   • The board heard a report from Jeremiah Hoyt of the City of Anamosa, regarding the Dillon Military Bridge.

   Hoyt shared a memo from HR Green, a civil engineering company.

   “We’ve reached a point where we’ve exhausted all the resources, where we can no longer identify any potential funding that may be available, until we come up with a plan,” Hoyt told the board.

   He said a plan would need to be developed, then submitted to try to find financial assistance. Once any assistance is determined, a decision would have to be made.

   Among the options for the bridge are restoration, which HR Green estimated would cost $1.8 million; relocation, or “as a last resort,” Hoyt said, disassemble and remove the bridge.

   ECICOG has pledged $325,000 to the project, regardless of what direction it takes. Any other funding, Hoyt said, “is hypothetical.”

The bridge crosses the Wapsipinicon River near the entrance to Wapsipinicon State Park, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

   Hoyt said the Anamosa City Council would like to schedule a joint meeting with the board to discuss plans.

   The board offered a tentative date of June 9; Hoyt said he would bring that option back to the Anamosa council.

     • The board took action to authorize the Jones County Decategorization (DECAT)/CPPC board to draw up a contract for Jones County to become employer of record for those organizations’ services.

   • The board awarded the bid for the courthouse bid replacement project to Advanced Builders Corp. of Cedar Rapids, at a cost of $203,000. It was the low bid out of six; the highest was $287,774.

   • The board approved the filing of tax liens for delinquent sewer bills for several properties in Fairview and Center Junction.

   • The board approved the purchase of a vending machine from PBS Vending, Inc. to dispense Narcan and other public healthy items, utilizing Opioid settlement funds. The machine will be housed in the civil waiting room in the basement of the courthouse.

   • The board heard from County Engineer Derek Snead and Assistant to the Engineer Todd Postel on the replacement of a twin structural plate arch under County Road X31 over Mino Creek.

   The apparent low bid for the project was by Boomerang Corp., for $534,526.90. The structure is about one mile north of Anamosa, and is being replaced with a 14-by-11-foot reinforced box culvert.

   • The board approved resolutions to allocate Fiscal Year 26 funding to the following organizations: Jones County Economic Development, Jones County Tourism, Jones County Historic Preservation, Jones County Historial Society, Jones County Cemetery Association, Cedar/Jones Early Childhood Iowa, Every Child Reads, Jones County Safe & Healthy Youth, HACAP, Jones County Family Council, Jones County Volunteer Services/United Way, Eastern Iowa Housing Trust Fund, Workplace Learning Connection, and the Jones Soil & Water Conservation District.

   The total amount allocated is $156,923.

   • The board appointed Darrick Hall to the Cedar/Jones Early Childhood Iowa Board.

   • The board made record of the Conservation Board’s appointment of Lucy Maddock and Dana Hansen as seasonal employees.