Engineering expectations

Russ Stutt has his work cut out for him.

On Tuesday, the county engineer received guidance and a long list of expectations set forth by the Jasper County Board of Supervisors, including updated policies for snow removal, ditch cleaning coordination, the feasibility of using harder rock types on roadways, as well as plans for a large-scale implementation of asphalt shingles on gravel roads.

Many of these ideas, Stutt implied, had already been discussed internally at the Jasper County Engineer’s Office prior to the public acknowledgment. Stressing this discussion was not an employee evaluation, Supervisor Brandon Talsma told the county engineer board members should openly communicate their expectations in an orderly meeting.

Since none of them can individually direct the engineering department’s actions and objectives, the board of supervisors decided to disclose their suggestions publicly to “provide clear direction” for Stutt and his crews.

This past spring proved to be extremely irregular and difficult for the engineering department. Between frost boils and a quick thaw deteriorating conditions of the roads (as well as several other factors), engineers were struggling to manage the deep ruts and soft spots in the more than 900 miles of roads throughout the county. This problem was prevalent throughout the state.

Residents voiced their concerns to the supervisors for several months. To keep them informed, Stutt would frequently answer questions and listen to their feedback at meetings. The county engineer would also regularly update the board of supervisors of his department’s efforts to reduce dust and mitigate the unstable road conditions.

Since then, the supervisors have repeatedly praised Stutt and his team for combating the road issues in Jasper County, particularly their use of bigger rock and the application of asphalt shingles. Still, the board of supervisors highlighted specific areas they believe the engineering department could work toward and improve upon:

Proposed changes to snow removal ordinance

Ideally, the county would like to see changes to its snow removal ordinance before winter this year. Talsma praised crews’ work from last year, especially considering the heavy amounts of snow accumulating in the area for several consecutive weeks at a time. However, Talsma is concerned the county’s paved roads may need extra attention beyond the allotted hours to plow.

Per the county’s snow ordinance, truck-mounted plows and spreaders are not normally operating between 4 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. the next day. Talsma proposed the county keep one or two plows on hard surface roads for 24 hours a day. If that is not possible, he also suggested the engineer’s office hire seasonal employees to plow roads a couple hours after the initial 4 p.m. cutoff.

“So (that way) we’re sure those roads are still clear and in good traveling shape when all those people are coming back from the metro from work,” Talsma added, later acknowledging that he would like to see county or seasonal drivers plow later into the evenings if possible. “If it requires us hiring seasonal employees, that’s what we want you to look at.”

Logistically, Stutt added, setting overnight routes in addition to the current plow times would be tough for crews, and it could become a liability for drivers. But Stutt did mention he had spoken with Jasper County Human Resources Director Dennis Simon about posting for seasonal positions, which the county has done in the past and usually acquires one to three drivers for winter work.

Doug Cupples, vice-chair of the board of supervisors, speculated a late-day snowfall could prove problematic for the county plow crews ending shifts by mid-afternoon, especially if the snowstorm has not let up. By that point, Stutt said, “there has to be some responsibility on the part of the citizen” to make arrangements in the event of inclement weather.

Although Cupples doesn’t disagree with Stutt, the supervisor also noted that it is the board’s “responsibility to take care of citizens and make sure they have a safe route home.” Stutt agreed and would not be opposed to extending the cutoff to 5 p.m. or a little later to adequately allow for citizens to return home from work outside Jasper County.

Cupples toyed with adding language to the ordinance that would account for a later snowfall or “in the event of” a circumstance that would make it mandatory for crews to plow later than normal, but Stutt believed that option would be too vague. The vice-chair of the supervisors requested Stutt come up with a solution or devise alternatives to the dilemma.

Keeping the crews on the county’s priority paved roads, such as F48, for another hour or hour-and-a-half appeared to be a viable solution, or at least something the supervisors were akin to approving, even if it requires hiring seasonal employees to split the labor.

Ditch cleaning and minimize impact of hauling

Claiming the maintenance and condition of gravel roads is likely going to be problems for the next 10 years, Talsma argued the county is in need of more drainage to channel water away from roadways to mitigate deterioration. The supervisor wondered if there was a way to coordinate with adjoining landowners to determine the worse stretches of roads with no ditches.

This process would likely be scheduled in the spring and fall when crops are not planted in fields. Talsma recommended Stutt to look into creating a program to facilitate that coordination, but the engineer’s office, Stutt said, has tried to do that already. Cupples said the county received compliments this past year for cleaning ditches and removing curbs.

As such, Cupples wants the county to remain aggressive in its approach to cleaning ditches. However, getting rid of the dirt also tends to be a challenge. Most folks, Talsma argued, will probably take their dirt back. Oftentimes residents have spoken with engineering crews to make sure they receive the unearthed dirt.

Knowing that what they’re recommending to the engineer’s office is likely going to cost more money, Cupples asked that Stutt come up with estimates or a plan or an explanation of how all their suggestions will work. Cleaning ditches is not that expensive, Stutt added, but it does take a considerable amount of time. Plus, Talsma said he wants to minimize hauling.

Taking that into consideration, Talsma wondered if the county needed to hire contractors to help haul dirt to make ditch cleaning efforts more efficient, especially since the engineer’s office hardly had trucks to spare to clean ditches this past spring.

“Or do we look at trying to allocate more of the budget to you so you can create another position where you got two or three (backhoes) digging instead of just one,” Talsma said. “Come up with options for us because I understand it’s going to cost us more money. But if it costs more money, it costs more money. Let us know what it is and give us different options on how to pursue it.”

Large-scale implementation of asphalt shingles

Both the supervisors and the engineer have received positive feedback from the test roads treated with about a 50/50 mix of asphalt shingles and rock, one of the many remedies Stutt and his team have tried this past year. Designed to limit dust, the asphalt shingles are considerably cheaper to purchase than rock.

Stutt told the Newton Daily News in July that asphalt shingles are used to “maintain the shape and integrity of the road” and reduce maintenance efforts. Cupples said the county should be “all over that” come spring 2020, advising that more asphalt shingles be applied to the gravel roads. Word of the positive effects shingles provided to county roads have spread fast.

Several homeowners had apparently contacted Talsma wondering if they could pay to have shingles bladed into the road in front of their house as a form of dust control. The supervisor asked Stutt if it would be possible for the engineer’s office to facilitate those requests, to which he seemed in favor of supporting.

Talsma recommended Stutt create a secondary roads department policy for individuals wanting to use shingles for dust control.

“And a plan for us to use them on a larger scale next year,” Cupples added.

Quality of rock and the feasibility of harder types

The supervisors want harder rock on county roads, but they don’t know for sure if that is a feasible option. Talsma, specifically, wants the engineer’s office to clearly identify a number of different rock types they can use and the logistics of them being able to get the rock onto county roads — anything besides limestone.

Recognizing that those options will likely be more expensive than limestone, Talsma reasoned that other types of rock will have a harder surface and last considerably longer. Still, the supervisor requested estimates and life expectancy of the alternatives. Limestone, he said, “is crap” and “doesn’t last,” especially the way in which roads are used today.

The supervisors also asked Stutt to reach out to contract companies to see if there are any willing to do early delivery of rock but not receive payment until the start of the new fiscal year July 1, 2020.

Stutt recommended that he and the supervisors have another discussion by fall.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com