Public Health works to inform the residents

Board of Supervisors
By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

     Jenna Lovaas, Jones County’s Public Health Coordinator, met with the Board of Supervisors during their Feb. 28 meeting to provide an update on health services/activities.

     In her annual report, Lovaas explained that funding for the Public Health Department stems from roughly $57,000 in county tax support and $96,000 from grants. The majority of Public Health’s expenditures are contracts with other agencies. The remaining expenditures are staff wages and office supplies.

     Lovaas told the board that the county’s immunization audit for grades K-12 was finalized at the end of January.

     “Ninety-seven percent of kids in Jones County have certificates on file and up to date,” explained Lovaas of immunization records. The remaining percentages, those who do not have updated records include provisional certificates, medical exemptions, religious exemptions, and those who just do not have certificates.

     The audit was conducted from Oct. 1, 2016 through Jan. 31, 2017 for all Jones County schools, licensed preschools, and registered daycare facilities.

     Lovaas warned that for the next school year there would be a new requirement for seventh and 12th graders concerning meningitis.

     “A lot of physicians in the area are already starting to get the vaccine in,” she said. Lovaas said the vaccine has actually been around for a few years, but it was optional. Now, it will be required.

     In order to help educate the public, Lovaas said Public Health uses social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

     Every five years, a Community Health Needs Assessment is put together. Lovaas said there is three target areas: physical activity, mental health, and addictive behaviors.

     “We are working on finding projects to target the different areas,” she said.

     To help increase physical activity in a community, Public Health could assist in organizing a Healthiest State Walk in Jones County.

     “I am working with other groups like the (Jones County Safe and Healthy Youth) Coalition on these projects,” said Lovaas.

In other county business:

     • The board tabled approval of bids for new and additional courthouse security cameras and panic buttons. Bids were received from ITS (Infrastructure Technology Solutions) and Radio Communications.

     The county has $50,000 set aside for this security project.

     The board will make a formal approval after the committee of Sheriff Greg Graver, Chief Deputy Jeff Swisher and Emergency Management Coordinator Brenda Leonard reviews the bids.

     The board formally approved setting a load limit of 10 tons on Ely’s Stone Bridge, outside of Monticello.

     County Engineer Derek Snead said this is not the first time the stone façade has fallen or crumbled away from the bridge. He said the same situation took place on the opposite corner of the bridge in 1994.

     “The façade,” Snead said, “is nothing more than a glorified retaining wall. It’s decorative fascia that held the dirt embankment.”

     Snead explained the load limit is needed because a portion of the concrete slab is sitting on the dirt embankment, unsupported.

     “While the traffic is concentrated to the center (of the bridge),” Snead informed the board, “this will reduce the likelihood of a large truck causing the slab to break.”

     Snead asked whether closing the bridge was a possibility.

     “I think there is more opposition out there than we realize,” said Supervisor Joe Cruise.

     “If we have any opposition,” suggested Supervisor Wayne Maternach, “we can’t close it. But this is a little different because something has to be done to the structure.”

     Snead reported on an issue that took place a couple of weeks ago along 148th Street between 130th Avenue and Highway 38.

     He explained to the board that an area landowner had some building material hauled away. The equipment used to haul the material away tore up the roadway. The condition of 148th Street was bad enough that Secondary Roads had to close the road to through traffic only on Saturday, Feb. 25.

     “We put some rock down to get people to their houses,” said Snead. “We won’t be able to get the whole road back in shape because it’s too wet out there. We’d do more damage to the road.”

     Supervisor Joe Oswald asked whether the county could assess the damage to the landowner. Snead explained there is multiple instances like this that take place all over the county; it’s hard to determine who is responsible.

     “The actual truck caused the damage,” said Snead, “not the owner.” Snead added that in the past, they haven’t assessed road damage to property owners, but suggested maybe establishing a policy on the matter.

     “Especially when you have to close the road,” said Manternach.

     Supervisor Jon Zirkelbach, who lives in the area of 148th Street, commented, “The road is pretty ugly. The maintainer tried to level it off as best they could.”

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