With mild weather well into winter, the Emmet County Board of Supervisors Tuesday heard a road report that dealt more with maintenance than plowing snow - something one would expect for this time of year.
Rich Blinkmann said crews were blading and rebuilding truck boxes, and when supervisor Alan Madden asked about checking on drainage intakes, Ron Beaver said that couldn't be done since they were frozen. "We can dig it. It's the material that we're using that's the problem," Beaver said.
Beaver said crews had also been cleaning ditches.
County engineer Roger Patocka said he thought the Corps of Engineers would give an extension for tree removal in preparation for the Riverview bridge project projected to cost a little over $1 million. Patocka said the 232-foot span will be 34 feet wide and comparable to the newer bridge installed at Wallingford.
And as for Class B roads, Patocka said over nine years the county had saved $663,000 by not maintaining 56-63 miles of roads previously designated for maintenance. "I guess that's why you did it, to save money," Patocka told the board.
Smith said not having to maintain Class B roads allowed crews to better service other roads. "That's the other benefit," Blinkmann agreed.
Smith also suggested that secondary roads monitor Eagle Lake Road to determine if access should be limited to prevent damage when the road softens this spring.