Supervisors discuss road projects, COVID safety measures

GRUNDY CENTER- The Grundy County Board of Supervisors received updates on Grundy Road and other projects before discussing whether it should go further in encouraging or requiring additional safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during a meeting at the engineer’s office on Monday morning.

County Engineer Gary Mauer reported that another parcel had been secured for easement on the Grundy Road project, and he went on to discuss some other major projects in the works, including blacktop fixes on D67 west of Conrad.

Since Highway 14 was closed for resurfacing in June, a portion of county road S75 along the Hardin County line, which served as an unofficial detour for travelers going west, has also been closed, and Mauer reported that the S75 detour had been moved from a gravel road in Grundy County to the Hardin County side.

“I think you did the right thing changing that detour. I think we should keep vehicles off that road,” Supervisor Jim Ross said.

Later in the meeting, Ross suggested that the county should consider either re-closing the courthouse or requiring masks in all offices due to the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Currently, the clerk of court’s office, which is under the administration of the state, and the third floor courthouse require masks.

“Part of government’s job is not just to tend to the funds, it’s to protect the residents,” Ross said. “We’re required to wear seatbelts and stop at stop signs, and all those are a pain in the (expletive). This is no different than that.”

According to County Auditor Rhonda Deters, Katie Thornton-Lang and Michelle Van Deest of Grundy County Public Health have not recommended closing the building again because overall traffic has been substantially down compared to the period before the pandemic since the courthouse reopened on June 8.

County Conservation Director Kevin Williams stopped by to bring the board up to speed on a proposal to sell a small piece of land to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) near Morrison with the intent to build a new culvert. A public hearing on the matter was set for August 10 at 9:00 a.m.

Board Chairwoman Barb Smith provided an update on the Middle Cedar Watershed project and noted that a tentative request calls for $15,607 in funding from Grundy County on an annual basis. Although Grundy County accounts for just 3.25 percent of the population in the watershed (which includes Waterloo and Cedar Rapids), it makes up over 15 percent of the land area.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, the board:

·      Approved a liquor license renewal for That Place Steakhouse.

·      Approved a revision to the fireworks permit application.

·      Approved the Veteran’s Affairs and Recorder’s quarterly reports.