Project update from Commissioner Mark Sharpton

With the beginning of a new year I look forward to various projects moving forward. It becomes very frustrating to recognize that most of the slow progress with projects is associated with rules and procedures implemented by bureaucracy. If citizens would push back against federal and state governments a little harder with more frequency, things would change. Folks seem to either profit off the current designs of government or are afraid to rebel against them. The red tape of government pushes the cost of projects skyward and extends the length of planning, design and construction into years rather than months.

The Coltrane Road project is on schedule with very few right-of-way acquisitions remaining. I would like to thank all of the folks that have signed off already. The faster and more cooperative people are, the quicker roads get built. We are now transitioning into the phase of moving utilities. After all phone lines, cable, gas, electric and energy pipelines are moved, construction can begin.

We have project numbers for three new road improvements. This does not mean we have funding yet, but it does allow us to move forward with planning, design and environmental clearance to receive finding. The three projects are for repaving one mile of Bryant north of Waterloo, two miles of Santa Fe beginning at Waterloo, and two miles of Kelly north of Waterloo. Like I said, these are not funded yet, but we have begun the process that allows Logan County to move forward to be in a better place to compete for funding.

REAP grants have been awarded for this year; unfortunately District 1 fell short this year. Six grants were funded and we ranked seventh.That does mean we are the first alternate if there is any reallocated money. Had we not received a 10 point deduction for having been awarded a grant last year, our project would have been approved for funding this year. The District 1 project that ranked highest this year was Camp Rd east of Hwy 74F.

We have much more happening than I have room to write about in this one article, but I will update you with more next time. As always, thank you for reading and for your support.