Peoria Standard

Woodford County Highway Department Road and Bridge Committee met June 8.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call meeting to order

The meeting was called to order by the Chairman at 8:01 AM.

2. Roll Call.

Josh Davis, Barry Logan, Donny Tolan, and Richard Hill all present. Danny Steffen is excused. Also present are Woodford County Engineer Conrad Moore, Woodford County State's Attorney Greg Minger and Board member Jerry Smith.

3. Review meeting minutes of regular meeting on May 11, 2020.

Motion to approve May 11, 2020 minutes made by Logan, seconded by Davis. Motion passed.

4. Review and consider minutes of past Executive Sessions.

None

5. Public comment.

None 

6. Consider claims for the June 16, 2020, Board meeting,

Motion to approve June claims made by Tolan, seconded by Logan. The 500 pounds of waterway mix and mulch were for hydro-seeding of ditches. There were three cases of toilet paper that were received. The office had not received a shipment of toilet paper in awhile. Motion approved.

7. Old Business:

(a) Consider Access Ordinance Amendments.

Motion to approve text amendments to the Access Ordinance made by Tolan, seconded by Logan. Several text amendments have been made to the access ordinance to make it more palatable for a single family dwellings to be allowed access. Safety will still be paramount. Discussion on Section 1.4 Jurisdiction. Definitions were added that were taken from the subdivision code and help to clarify meaning in subsequent sections that are revised. It was asked if this new version fixes the problem of a neighbor's driveway affecting where the homeowner places their driveway. A new section for single family dwelling has been added to this ordinance. Discussion on variances and that it could allow someone to argue that one person got a variance and one person did not. With the new ordinance, the homeowner could ask for a variance if they disagree with the County Engineer. The idea is to make the placement of access for a single-family home more flexible. If a homeowner would want more than one access, then a variance would need to be considered. This ordinance is striving for best practices, but the County Engineer would still be looking into safety and have final approval. Sections were added for additional access point if a valid reason is presented by the applicant. It was asked if anything in the ordinance specifically states that the driveway placement is not affected by the location of the neighbor's existing driveway. It doesn't state that explicitly, but does state that there can be one access anywhere on the property frontage for a single-family home if certain conditions are met. The table in the ordinance under section 5.4 lists sight distances. There is concern that someone might interpret that Table 5-2 means they still have to comply with driveway spacing based on the neighbor's driveway placement. The committee would like to take more time to review the ordinance and changes made to it and discuss it next month. Motion to table the Access Ordinance till July meeting made by Logan, seconded by Davis, Motion passed.

8. New Business:

(a) Discuss and act on bids for Linn Township Bridge, Section 17-07136-00-BR.

Motion to approve low bid of $358,248.95 from Otto Baum Company Inc. for bridge replacement in Linn Township made by Tolan, seconded by Logan. Motion passed.

(b) Discuss and act on bids for Santa Fe Trail Culvert Replacement, Section 20-00172-00-DR.

Motion to approve low bid of $40,353.00 from Knapp Concrete Contractors Inc. for a culvert replacement on Santa Fe Trail made by Logan, seconded by Tolan. It was asked if Knapp Concrete was a recognized contractor and it was stated they are listed on IDOT, Motion passed.

9. Other:

(a) Project Updates

The only project right now is the bridge in Greene Township. The old bridge is out and they are ready to begin construction on the new bridge.

The highway crew has been working on crack sealing and spray patching.

10. Executive Session.

11. Action coming out of Executive Session.

12. Motion to Adjourn.

Motion to adjourn made by Tolan, seconded by Davis.

Meeting adjourned at 8:35 AM.

https://www.woodford-county.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06082020-1070