By KATHY HAGEMAN
Dickinson County public information coordinator
Two bridges, which are more than a century old, were declared as surplus Sept. 15 by the Dickinson County Commission.
Located at 2260 1300 Avenue and at 3200 Oat Road, the bridges are rated fracture critical, meaning if a tension component of a bridge fails the entire bridge could collapse.
The bridges have been closed for years and berms have been built on each end to prevent anyone from driving over them. However, some continue to use them as a walkway or drive ATVs, bikes and smaller vehicles across them.
“These fracture critical bridges are on our national bridge inventory so we have to pay to have them inspected every year and continue to invest money to put up the cable when people cut it down,” explained Dickinson County Administrator Brad Homman.
By declaring the bridges as surplus, the structures will not need to be inspected, the county can take them down and salvage the material.
“Or, since we’re short on staff, we can contract with somebody for the cost of the metal to knock the bridge down and remove it,” Homman said.
The bridge at 2260 1300 Avenue is a truss bridge with a concrete deck, constructed in 1910.
The bridge at 3200 Oat Road was built in 1904 and was the subject of much discussion during Dickinson County Commission meetings several years ago when several county residents wanted it saved. Talk included moving the bridge to the Heritage Center at the Dickinson County Historical Society, but nothing ever came of it.
The surplus declaration only affects the structure itself and does not involve giving up right of way, which would be the case if the roads were closed.
Prisoner transport, other
The commission approved a prisoner transport agreement between the City of Abilene and the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department. Arranged by Sheriff Jerry Davis and Abilene Police Chief Anna Hatter, the agreement will allow the sheriff’s department to pickup and bring back prisoners for Abilene on municipal warrants or if an individual needs to be extradited back from another jurisdiction, Homman said.
“It makes sense for Jerry to have his corrections staff do that in a vehicle outfitted for that purpose rather than take a police officer off the street,” he explained.
The agreement states the county will receive 62 cents per mile and $42 per hour and expenses for the staff person doing the transporting.
Also:
●The commission approved a $81,881 change order for the jail addition/courthouse renovation project for several items above and beyond the original scope of the project. The changes include repairing the outer walls of the courthouse where rain water had run down the inside of the walls from the “eyebrow,” a concrete projection that extended over the windows.
Other changes included additional signage inside the courthouse, work in the sallyport area where prisoners are delivered, expense due to a temporary firewall and sprinkler system required by the fire marshal and construction of a wheelchair ramp needed by the new magistrate judge.
Assistant County Administrator/Budget Director Janelle Dockendorf said the county has money set aside in the building project fund to cover change orders.
Also, Homman said the county will receive reimbursement for a generator error. It was discovered the generator designed to power the courthouse was not large enough to handle the entire building so the decision was made to purchase two smaller generators. The county will receive approximately $340,000 due to the error from the engineering firm.
●Commissioners learned a new roof was being installed on the road and bridge department’s shop building to repair significant leaks caused by several windstorms.
●In other recent action, the commission approved a new contract with Hamm Quarries in Perry regarding transfer station services. The need for an updated contract became obvious following a fire at the transfer station in 2020 when it was learned Hamm’s insurance company was responsible for paying for the fire damage.
The agreement also increases the hauling fee the county pays Hamm’s to transport municipal waste to Perry, and to cover the purchase of a 4th trailer to haul waste. To cover the changes, the county will need to increase gate fees.
●Commissioners also recently learned the Road and Bridge department has been hauling in truckloads of dirt to the landfill at the Transfer Station to fill in areas where the ground has settled. A recent Kansas Department of Health and Environment inspection noted a significant amount of settling had occurred.
As waste decomposes in the ground it creates voids which continually have to be filled in. Because it will be an ongoing problem, road and bridge crews will no longer be giving dirt away when cleaning out ditches. Instead the dirt will be stockpiled at the county’s landfill stations outside Abilene and Hope for future use.