The Cass County Board of Supervisors Wednesday, approved the employment of a jailer, and the appointment of two persons to the County Compensation Board. Dorothy Bartlett was hired as jailer, retroactive to September 30^th, with a union scale wage of $13.65/hour. And, Maynard Hansen and Phyllis Nichols were appointed to the Compensation Board, with their 4-year terms retroactive to July 1^st, 2013.

In other business, the Supervisors authorized Chair Mark Wedemeyer to sign the release of mortgage for properties in Glenwood, Council Bluffs, Essex and Anita, whose owners have satisfied the conditions of their 5-year forgivable loans with the “Jumpstart Disaster Recovery Program,” which is administered by SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council), and the funds for which flow through the County.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker also updated the Board on current road and bridge projects. Marker said a couple of paving projects on the secondary roads are nearing completion by Henningsen Construction. He said G-43 (Lewis to Hwy 71) needs to have the shoulder rock and centerline painting finished. County Road M-56 from a feedlot to the airport road has one lane which remains to have surface work completed, but that is expected to be finished yet this week.

The road will also need centerline striping and shoulder rock. And, as far as bridge projects are concerned,  Murphy’s Bridge over the Nishnabotna River by the ISU Research Farm, some paving has to be done on the east side of the bridge, and concrete poured for the concrete. That work is also expected to be completed this week.

Crews have worked to reopen on a Pony Truss-style wood-deck bridge from the Highway 92/71 intersection east to near Schuler Manufacturing and a mile south. Marker said they removed the wood deck and welded in steel corrugated metal decking. Dirt and rock was then placed on the decking.

Work is expected to get underway by October 15th on the Boston Road bridge (located about a mile east of Highway 71), where a box culvert will be installed under the bridge. Gus Construction is in charge of the project. In other business, the Board of Supervisors approved an intergovernmental Federal Aid agreement between the County and Iowa Department of Transportation, for County highway bridge program projects that will cost an estimated $360,000. The County’s share of the cost from the Farm to Market Fund is 20-percent. Work on the #83 bridge on 560^th Street, located near the Griswold Golf Course, is expected to begin next Spring.