The first of what are expected to be several road failures caused by heavy loads carried to EDP Renewal wind farm construction sites in northeast Allen County occurred this week.
Mitch Garner, director of Public Works, told commissioners Friday morning a culvert at the intersection of 1600 Street and Texas Road collapsed under weight of a transport.
They said theyd fix it, Garner said, per an agreement for the contractor to deal with such problems. Im sure they will, Commissioner Bill King added. I talked with them and they realized damage was going to happen. Im sure theyll be good about taking care of it.
Depending on the weather, they expect to start hauling in tower parts about Jan. 15, Sheriff Bryan Murphy said. They also will be heavy and may lead to similar problems.
Commissioners instructed County Clerk Sherrie Riebel to bill the contractor for overtime pay required for having county employees respond to the culvert collapse and barricade the damage.
More heavy equipment, cranes and such, are expected to arrive on site soon to accommodate raising about 60 towers to hold power-generating turbines and their enormous fan blades.
Commissioners also discussed a policy that provides for up to 40 hours of vacation time to be carried forward automatically to an employees new anniversary year. Any hours above 40 will require approval of the department head and commissioners.
A few tweaks to the policy, one of County Counselor Alan Webers last chores before he retires Dec. 31, in conjunction with incoming counselor Robert Johnson II, will be done to make the policy ready for formal approval on Jan. 8.
Bruce Symes, who will take John Brockers seat on the commission Jan. 14, pointed out the importance of employees using vacation time, to refresh themselves from the rigors of work-a-day life.
