Progress made on bridge, parking lot
By Melinda L. Lucas
A couple of big budget projects, both delayed for several years, moved up a few steps during Monday’s Shackelford County commissioners meeting, with significant progress reported on the Caldwell Lane Bridge, as well as a “partial bid” accepted to rebuild the deteriorating Courthouse parking lot.
In addition, the audit for the year ending September 2021 was accepted, and commissioners agreed that the Courthouse would be closed this Friday, July 29 for work on the “chiller.”
Caldwell Lane Bridge
Precinct 2 commissioner Ace Reames said that Morales Concrete of Graham is completing concrete skirting under the bridge on CR 179 (Caldwell Lane) that should end the washout problems that have undermined the structure for at least three years. Reames expected the work to be complete by Wednesday.
Morales initially bid $70,800 in August 2021 after a different contractor had abandoned the project. After a few hiccoughs and with site access assistance from commissioners, Morales began work in earnest earlier in the summer. Reames reported Monday that he is pleased with the work.
Parking Lot Project
Commissioners received one bid to redesign and rebuild the Courthouse parking lot, presented by Chris Ary of CM3 Services.
Although the bid total was $150,257 for all work, the final motion was to accept a partial bid for $116,907, with commissioners taking responsibility for demo and removal of the old asphalt, amounting to about $30,000.
Ary explained his design plan to lower the grade of the area, hopefully uncover original curbing, and provide better drainage. He proposed moving the dumpster to a different location where it will be both more discreet and more accessible to trash trucks, with less likelihood of damaging the new asphalt.
The county has been planning the parking lot revision for several years, but budget constraints put the project on the back burner. Loosened guidelines for use of Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act funding brought the plans back to the forefront, although commissioners decided that they could forego the cost of an engineer and rely on their own expertise and that of the contractor to design the parking lot.
Commissioners asked that the project be complete before the November 2022 election, and Ary estimates a time frame of one month once work begins.
Other Business
•Auditor Gayla Fullerton presented a “clean” audit for the fiscal year from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021, which was approved by the court.
•County judge Robert Skelton reported that Cary Services needs to “internally inspect the defective circuit of the county’s “chiller” that provides cooling to the Courthouse, which would involve deactivating the whole system for a day. It was agreed that the county offices will be closed this Friday, July 29 to allow that work.
•The burn ban was extended another 45 days to Sept. 8.
•The June treasurers report was approved.
•Zac Fitzgerald, account manager with the county’s IT service, presented a routine update.
•Skelton was directed to move forward with negotiations for continued cleaning services.
