Marshall County Highway Supervisor Jason Peters asked the county council members for an additional appropriation for $300,000 to help finish the road program this year.
The council did approve support of that money to be spent to continue with operations. The request will be advertised and formally approved during the council’s September meeting.
Peters said overall the program has been successful this year.
“To date, we’ve chip and sealed right at 75 miles and we’ve paved about four miles,” said Peters. “I think we’ve done a lot of very successful things with it this year. The roads look good. We’re going to go to paving, I think, from here on out to try and run the rest of the year out – unless something comes up here or something like that. For the most part, I think we’re going to transfer everything back to paving from here on out until weather no longer permits or funding runs out.”
The county council appropriated $1.5 million earlier this year to help with flood repair efforts and over $360,000 has been spent in repair efforts as well as repairing damage to roads caused by the installation of an electric transmission line. Peters said NIPSCO has tentatively agreed to a settlement of $300,000 for their portion of the cost of damages.
Peters noted that $563,000 is allocated for bridge repairs for flood damage and not all of those repairs will occur this year. In order to complete the road program before winter sets in, another $358,000 is needed which will be approved by the council in September.
As for FEMA reimbursement, Peters commented that the amount is still undecided.
“We’re still talking with them, still turning in papers, still going out to look at different assessments and damages,” said Peters.
