Flood emergency
Flood emergency
By CHERYL ODDEN
His voice was quiet, but his message rang loud and clear.
When Ron Wagner, McLean County road superintendent, addressed commissioners during their June 4 meeting, he began, “We need some sunshine. We have water issues and so do the townships.”
Explaining that an additional four roads were under water, he said he was especially concerned about County 33 in the Butte area. He described the partially submerged road as “a major farm to market road.”
Citing the high cost of road maintenance due to heavy rains, Wagner said he hopes “emergency relief dollars” would be available. Following a state declaration of flood emergency, Wagner asked commissioners to sign a flood emergency declaration for the county. With little discussion, the declaration was signed as presented.
While the condition of numerous roads remains compromised due to the moisture, commissioners authorized Wagner to lift road restrictions at his discretion.
In another department matter, Wagner asked that the department’s four cell phones be switched from AT&T to Verizon, due to better reception provided by Verizon. After discussion, the request was approved.
In another highway matter, Mike Rivinius, an engineer with Wold Engineering, asked the county to add a short stretch of road to the federal road program due to oil activity in the western part of the county. The request was for six miles of County Road 1. He explained the stretch was north of Hwy. 37 and leads to County Road 2. Commissioners approved forwarding the request to the appropriate personnel.
