The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), approved a recommendation by County Attorney David Wiederstein, to appoint his law firm partner John Otto, as Assistant County Attorney, retroactive to October 1st. Otto will assume the job left vacant by the resignation early last August, of Jamie Arnold. Otto will cover for Wiederstein on certain days when Wiederstein is gone, along with the days when Juvenile Court meets and on legal Motion days.

Otto will be paid $2,037 for the 18 pay periods that runs through the end of the Fiscal Year. That’s the remainder of the $40,000 set aside for the position of Assistant County Attorney during the current Fiscal Year.

In other business, the Cass County Supervisors received a Collective Bargaining Proposal from the Union representing the County’s Sheriff’s Deputies and Jailors. The Supervisors will review the proposal and present their own during a meeting next week.

And, Cass County Engineer Charles Marker reported to the Board the status of some area bridge projects. Marker said work on the Griswold Golf Course bridge (Bridge #83) remains on schedule, with a meeting pertaining to the concrete bridge deck pouring tentatively set to take place next week. They hope to begin pouring the deck on Oct. 15th, weather permitting. He says the also hope to have the asphalt approaches to the bridge laid by the middle of November.

Marker says the landfill road bridge (Bridge #292) is currently stalled out while supplies are on back-order. The deck for the bridge has already been poured, but a shortage of steel means they cannot get the culvert pipes needed for the side ditches along the bridge. Marker says if the pipes do not arrive by next week, the contractor can use what the County has available, and then replenish the County’s supply when the contractor’s steel arrives.

He says guardrails still need to be installed and asphalt wedge approaches laid. They’re still targeting the middle of November for completion. And, Charles Marker said work on Bridge #247 south of Anita will begin next week, and should be completed much quicker, because it uses steel, and the supplies are ready to go.

The corrugated deck will be covered with gravel once the decking is in-place. He said also they are having trouble obtaining road rock with the closing of one-quarry, and long wait periods for the Stennett Quarry in Montgomery County, which is used by several other counties, as well.