Ogle County Highway Department Road & Bridge Committee met Aug. 11.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
I. Meeting called to order at 8:04 AM by Chairman Hopkins at the Ogle County Courthouse, 3rd Floor Courtroom.
Members participating: Stan Asp, Dorothy Bowers, Lloyd Droege, Rick Fritz and Lyle Hopkins.
Others participating: Jeremy Ciesiel (County Engineer)
Meeting also transmitted virtually using Zoom Meetings.
II. Approval of Minutes
A. Reviewed July 14, 2020 Road & Bridge Minutes.
1. Motion to approve minutes by – Dorothy Bowers
2. Motion seconded by – Lloyd Droege
3. Vote – All in favor
III. Reviewed Bills and Payroll
A. Motion to approve Highway Dept bills and payrolls by – Dorothy Bowers
B. Motion seconded by – Rick Fritz
C. Vote – All in favor
IV. Received Bids
A. None this month
V. Petitions and Resolutions
A. None this month. The Preliminary Engineering Service Agreement on the Agenda has been pushed back to September.
VI. Business & Communications
A. Unfinished Business
1. COVID-19 Update: The Highway Department is currently at full staff. We had 2 reported positive cases since the last Committee meeting. These individuals were quarantined and interviewed. Everyone in close contact with the positive individuals were quarantined and tested. None of the close contacts employed by the Highway Department tested positive. Testing was performed through KSB with turnaround times of 48 to 72 hours.
2. Project Status Report (See Attached)
3. QBS Firm Selection – We completed the review of the qualifications received in June for Preliminary Engineering for four different structure projects. Based on the review, four different engineering firms were selected. Preliminary Engineering Service Agreements are currently being prepared and will be presented to the Road & Bridge Committee in September. The selection results are as follows:
a. Ridge Road Culvert (Sec. 20-00324-00-BR) – Chastain & Associates
b. Pecatonica Rd Culvert (Sec. 20-00325-00-BR) – Hutchison Engineering c. Milledgeville Rd Bridge (Sec. 20-00326-00-BR) – Strand Associates
d. Leaf River Rd Bridge (Sec. 20-00327-00-BR) – Willett, Hofmann & Associates
4. Southwest Rochelle Truck Loop – Back in December 2019 it was discussed at the Road & Bridge Committee meeting that the Ogle County Highway Department had submitted a letter to IDOT requesting a No Build Determination for the Southwest Truck Loop project. We have received notification from the FHWA that they concur that the No Build Determination is appropriate for the project and we do not need to return the roughly $90,000 in grant funding used on engineering.
5. BNSF Drainage Issue – Back at the October 2019 Road & Bridge Committee meeting a recurring drainage issue was discussed that is occurring along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad tracks just east of Center Road that is resulting in the flooding of two private properties. Since that meeting the County Engineer has met with representatives of the railroad and conducted a topographic survey of the area that shows that the surface water should in fact be draining to the north and east. While we were optimistic that the survey results would convince BNSF that something was wrong with their culvert that runs beneath the tracks, we were surprised when they responded that they were not going to do anything with their culvert because they feared the culvert would just get plugged again. This is despite an Illinois State Statute that states that the railroad needs to keep culverts under their tracks in good repair. The recent dry weather has resulted in the water level dropping to a point where we are now able to see inside the culvert and it is visible that the culvert pipe has failed and is blocked by railroad ballast and soil. Given the inactivity of the BNSF Railroad, one property owner has approached the Ogle County Highway Department for financial assistance in the installation of a $4,599 pump station to be used to remove water from his back yard. He would like to install the pump system while the water level is down.
The County Engineer expressed that he would like to work with the States Attorney to issue a letter to the BNSF regarding the replacement of the failed culvert. Committee members Hopkins, Bowers, Asp & Droege were in favor of involving the States Attorney. Chairman Hopkins has concerns regarding the pump station idea, specifically related to performing or funding work on private land. Committee member Asp concurred and also has concerns about the long term maintenance of the pump system. The general consensus was that the replacement of the pipe culvert is the best course of action.
B. New Business
1. The County Engineer went over the draft budgets presented to the Finance Committee on August 6th.
2. I.A.C.E. Legislative Committee – Nothing to report.
3. I.A.C.E. Policy Committee – Due to high state unemployment, the
Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act has taken effect. This law required the workforce on all public works projects to be comprised of a minimum of 90% Illinois residents. The Ogle County Highway Department does not currently have any projects under contract with out of state contractors.
4. Next Meeting – Tuesday, September 8, 2020, @ 8:00 AM,
Lettings: 2020-21 Ice Abrasives on Friday, September 4, 2020.
VII. Public Comment
- None
VIII. Meeting adjourned at 8:54 A.M. by Chairman Hopkins. https://www.oglecounty.org/document_center/highway/road%20and%20bridge/2020/Road%20&%20Bridge%20Minutes%20August%202020.pdf
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