Supervisors address variety of issues

by Bob Beach

During its regular meeting Monday, October 10, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met with Allamakee Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Youth Coordinator Jean Bossom to discuss the hiring of a Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG) Coordinator. Bossom said that three candidates had been interviewed for the position and that Maxine Grotegut, who currently works with the Reducing Alcohol grant for the Allamakee Community School District, was the most qualified candidate.
Bossom explained that Grotegut would be a full-time County employee with benefits and that her salary, benefits and expenses would be reimbursed through Helping Services of Northeast Iowa, administrator of the grant. The Board approved hiring Grotegut at an annual salary of $28,900 for the term of the three-year grant.
The Board met with Case Management Supervisor Kim Waters, who presented her department’s annual assessment. Waters noted a slight increase in the percentage of consumer satisfaction surveys returned to 59 percent, as well as an increase to 95 percent of respondents who said they feel safe and like where they live. She also noted that the satisfaction of service providers increased in all categories, signifying better communication between the providers and individual case managers.
The Board also met with County Engineer Brian Ridenour to discuss the purchase of a new excavator for the Secondary Roads Department. On Ridenour’s recommendation, the Board voted unanimously to accept the low bid from Martin Equipment of Dubuque for a John Deere excavator for $217,000, including the trade-in value of a 1998 Caterpillar excavator and a 1995 Ford tractor. Ziegler Equipment of Postville submitted a comparable bid for a new Caterpillar excavator but would not match Martin’s trade-in value for the Ford tractor ($222,700 total).
The Board also met with Solid Waste Director Dave Mooney, who recommended purchasing a new compactor to replace the machine currently leased from Waste Management. The Board agreed, noting that the $24,798 cost would be partially offset by savings from monthly lease payments and by the closure of the rural dump sites this December.
In other business, the Board met with Jan Ellingson of Makee Manor regarding roof leaks at the facility. The Board voted to accept the bid of $18,825 for a roof replacement by JLH Enterprises in the spring, with the understanding that some patching would be done before winter sets in.