Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
The Kimball County Transit Service building's new digital sign was placed on the south side of the structure on Tuesday, but electricians will not wire it until next week. Once it's operating, downtown will have an electronic message board.
The Kimball County Commissioners dealt with a variety of topics Tuesday in their regular bi-monthly meeting.
The county Road Department will begin working again on their 1/6 Year project located 14 miles south of Kimball and 2 miles west. Seven culverts will be installed in the two-mile area and the site will be graveled.
Randy Bymer of the road department reported that the blacktop south of Dix was patched last week when the weather was scorching, and the GPS units are installed and working on the pickups.
The commissioners had requested a structural engineer to look at the Courthouse to determine if any structural issues needed attention. The report from Klaas Structural Engineering, LLC reads: "1. The structural concrete floor slab has no visual sign of structural damage. 2. There are no signs of foundation settlement for the original 1927 construction."
The building is in good shape, but three issues need to be addressed.
The apron around the exterior of the building, which helps drainage water away from the building, needs the joints repaired and re-sealed.
Next, the windows in the building gather moisture. There is fear that the moisture is seeping into the walls.
Finally, the exterior walls have no insulation; the engineer suggested insulated furring could be installed on the inside wall surface to insulate the building properly.
The commissioners received a call into the meeting from Sheriff Harry Gillway in which he explained how the county came into possession of a 2002 black Audi. Two years ago, the Audi was seized. The State Patrol used it for two years, after which it was returned to Kimball County.
Gillway suggested that the vehicle be traded in, and the sheriff's department obtain a backup vehicle. No decision was made as to what to do with the Audi.
County Tourism Director Jessica Rocha said she has seen the number of visitors increase in recent weeks, and the Visitors Center is fully staffed with two locals – Jeanette Merryfield and Rod James. James is a summer staff person paid through the state.
The AmeriCorps team will be working at the Visitors Center for the next two weeks, according to Rocha. The team has five members and one team leader.
Concluding the meeting, Christy Warner, county transit service administrator, presented the commissioners with an update on the transit service. Warner explained that the new digital sign on the south side of the building was being installed on Tuesday morning, and next week the electricians will hook it up.
The new transit vehicle is making its way here from Pennsylvania. It was in Missouri on Tuesday and will be wrapped in the red, white, and blue county transit graphics on July 12.
Warner explained that federal transportation funding is returning to normal. Due to COVID, some items were 100% reimbursable, but that ship has sailed, and it is back to 75/25 for driver's wages and fuel, 80/20 for construction, and 90/10 for most other items.
July 6 is the next Kimball County Commissioner meeting.
