St. Clair Commissioners get Update on Road Projects
Posted: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 9:08 pm | Updated: 3:15 pm, Wed Aug 12, 2015.
By GARY HANNER, Home staff writer
ASHVILLE – St. Clair County engineer Dan Dahlke updated county commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday about MPO projects that will have a lasting impact on three intersections in the Moody area.
MPO stands for “Metropolitan Planning Organization,” and the three intersections are at Park Avenue and U.S. 411; Washington and Verbena Drive and U.S. 411; and Kerr Road and U.S. 411.
Commissioner Ken Crowe said this work will furnish turn lanes and help with some of the congestion off 411.
“A study has been done on that section of roadway there in Moody,” Dahlke said. “This study confirmed congestion points, so these turn lanes will help alleviate some of the congestion points during the peak hours in the morning and afternoon.”
Dahlke said it would be 2017 at best before anything starts on this project.
County engineer James Hill III said the MPO has gradually spread out from Birmingham.
“These areas of Moody and Springville are part of the MPO,” Hill said. “As such, these areas are eligible for some funding that otherwise they wouldn’t be. That was a decision made by someone else. It was not made by the county commission or those cities. They just advised us they were now a part of that organization.”
Crowe said this was great, and that Springville has already benefitted from this.
“When we got put into the MPO, we were allowed to appoint some board members,” Crowe said. “We have a Moody representative and a Springville representative. Springville was able to get $300,000 last year.”
This work will include an 80-20 match, with 80 percent being federally funded, 10 percent coming from the county and 10 percent coming from the city of Moody.
In another matter, the commission approved the Run, Hide, Fight training as a mandatory requirement for all county employees.
Chairman Paul Manning said he really didn’t think this was necessary a few months ago.
“But now, with all the things that are taking place across the nation, I do think it is very necessary,” Manning said.
In other business, the commission;
— Approved a contract with TSA to perform an analysis of the county network switches for the Technology Department, pending review by county attorney James Hill. There is no cost for the contract;
— Approved a resolution authorizing participation in the County Income Tax Offset Program;
— Approved the request from St. Clair County District Judge Robert Minor for $2,500 to the St. Clair Children’s Policy Council to be paid from the Juvenile Court Service Fund;
— Approved various change orders for the addition to the Administrative Annex;
— Approved a Commercial Crime Coverage Policy through Union State Insurance for a premium of $4,482;
— Rescinded the nomination of Crowe and Dahlke to the St. Clair County Board of Equalization and named Sherry Bowers and Nick Rutledge to that board;
— Approved the request of jail administrator Austin Nash to pay an invoice from Bob Barker Company in the amount of $4,515.19, for which no purchase order was requested;
— Approved the following pay adjustments effective Aug. 16: sales tax coordinator and administrative assistant to a Pay Grade 16; payroll clerk to a Pay Grade 19; and the commission accounting clerk to a Pay Grade 17. Manning said this was very deserving and a step in the right way;
— Approved various travel requests;
— Set a work session for Thursday, Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.;
— Reappointed Michael King to the Wolf Creek Water, Sewer & Fire Protection Authority retroactive to March 1, 2015; and
— Approved the payment of regular bills.
Contact Gary Hanner at ghanner@thestclairtimes.com.