(BEDFORD) – Lawrence County Highway crews were praised for their tireless work and dedication this morning during the commissioners meeting.
“Words can not express my thanks,” says David Holmes, Highway Superintendent. “Kudos to them all. It was tough out there. In 10 years it was the worse I have seen it. We had a least 30 slide-offs, one guy fell and broke his leg, another pulled out in front of another vehicle totaling the man’s vehicle, and another had his vehicle stolen from the county complex.”
Those that slid off the roadway were pulled out by other county trucks. Two had to be pulled out by Weaver’s Wrecker Services.
Drivers put in more than 18 hours plowing in the bitter cold weather.
“They have an unbelievably difficult task,” added Commissioner Rodney Fish.
Emergency Management Director Valerie Luchauer says that she continues to monitor the weather conditions.
“It looks like it will miss us this weekend,” she added.
Holmes says Butler Fairman & Seufert Inc. is completing the design work for Bridge 121 on Williams Silverville Road over Indiana Creek.
Bridge 170 on Stove Road was inspected. Both it and the historic truss bridge at Otis Park is now open with a three-ton weight limit.
In other business:
The commissioners approved the renewal of the county’s landfill contract. There were no changes, and the annual contract will not exceed $24,900.
Chief Deputy Aaron Shoults reported there were 163 inmates in the county jail, of those 131 were males, 32 females and no Department of Correction holds.
County attorney David Smith opened the one bid for a distributor truck which was taken under advisement.
Clerk Billie Tumey presented the commissioners with the MicroVote agreement. It was a renewed contract with no changes.
Lawrence County Chief Public Defender David Shircliff presented the commissioners with a grant application of $112,000 with a $26,000 match to retain a full-time social worker for the public defender’s office. The social worker meets with inmates in the jail and determines treatment programs for those inmates.
“It has had an impact,” Shircliff says. “We are not seeing them back in the criminal justice system.”
