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County denies fee waiver for Redland school intersection
By David Goodwin
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The Elmore County Commission denied a request by the county school board to waive $12,000 in inspection costs for the new intersection that will lead to Redland Elementary School.
Monday’s 3-1 vote denied a request by the Elmore County Board of Education that the county waive $12,008.62 in “engineering inspection fees,” according to county engineer Richie Beyer and school board construction project manager Bruce Christian.
“At this juncture in the budget, I don’t see us in the position to absorb this cost,” Commission Chairman Joe Faulk said.
District 2 Commissioner Mickey Shaw voted against the motion to disapprove the school board’s request.
“The board of education needs all the help it can get, and I’ve been in favor of the Redland project since the beginning,” Shaw said after the meeting. “This school will be in my district, so am I partial? Yeah, I am.”
Christian said the county’s refusal to waive the inspection costs “just means there’s $12,000 more we’ll have to pay.”
“This is not a burning issue, though,” Christian, who oversees construction projects across the school system, said. “They’ve been helpful in other areas (in Redland). You just never know until you ask.”
In other business:
•The commission approved a resolution supporting the city of Wetumpka’s desire for the Alabama Department of Transportation to continue work at the intersection of River Oaks Drive and U.S. Highway 231. ALDOT’s project was placed on “indefinite hold” earlier this summer when workers discovered a Native American burial site. An archaeological dig is ongoing at the site. But the city and county want work to continue at the busy intersection, which services the River Oaks subdivision and Riverside Entertainment Center, and that funding for the intersection is not reallocated, Shaw said.
•Commissioners approved a $1,400 monthly increase in “Part B” of the county’s contract with Elmore Community Hospital. Part B of the contract funds medical care for inmates at the Elmore County Jail.
•The Highway Department was authorized to purchase one new tractor off a state contract for $33,500. The cost is $5,500 above what is usually paid for ALDOT surplus tractors, but that equipment, Beyer said, typically suffers from transmission and other mechanical problems.
•A joint computer bid for the revenue and emergency management offices was awarded to Wilson Price.
•The commission voted to vacate undeveloped roads in districts 1 and 5. No opposition was voiced at public hearings for either proposal.
•A public hearing was scheduled for 5 p.m. Aug. 11 to consider moving the polling place for Tallassee’s Precinct 0021 from the National Guard Armory to God’s Congregation Church Community Center.
