County roads continue to dominate meeting topics

As Mark Balderston settles into his new job, the county’s road foreman has had several requests and questions for Chase County Commissioners Jacci Brown, Duane Dinnel and Dennis Kunnemann.
Balderston, whose first day on the job was May 10, attended the June 8 commissioners’ meeting with a long list of topics to discuss, from equipment to personnel.
Balderston has concerns over the quality of road and culvert work completed last spring. One of the three projects has already had to be repaired and Balderston has concerns about a second.
Engineering International planned the projects last year and had a proposed contract for work on the Champion road project on the June 8 agenda.
With concerns expressed over the proposed 3/4” overlay on the road, the commissioners decided not to sign Engineering International’s contract for the project.
A separate spot on 736 Road by Craig Fanning’s farm is also having problems. The commissioners want to do a road survey before any work begins.
The board approved a change to the routes of each grader at Balderston’s suggestion. Balderston plans on using two grader operators on road projects. The commissioners were worried about the route operators’ ability to keep up, but Balderston will work on building a better base to the roads to help them handle traffic better between gradings. The commissioners told Balderston to shut down other projects to help catch up if the routes get behind.
Balderston has been getting requests from private land owners to work on projects with county equipment. He said his grader operators are frustrated because they feel like they have enough to do without private work added to it.
“We’re part of the community but if people want their main roads in good condition they need to do their own driveways,” Balderston said.
Other business
After hearing of one tax exemption from County Assessor Dotty Bartels, the commissioners and Bartels set July 7 as the day for protest hearings. People may file their protests until June 30.
The board approved a resolution to increase the number of people on the Chase County Tourism Board from five to seven. The tourism board has people interested in filling those spots.
In looking for ways to save the county money, Commissioner Dinnel suggested combining with another county for veterans’ services. Chase County’s office had around 200 calls last year and a budget of $45,000.