Webster County Supervisors approved an agreement for the Badger Lake Trail Loop, a Civil Service commissioner appointment and truck purchases on Tuesday.

Badger Lake Trail Loop

An agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation signed by supervisors confirmed the receipt of $700,000 in federal funding for the Badger Lake Trail Loop at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park.

“This is just the paperwork process for the loop,” said Matt Cosgrove, director of Webster County Conservation. “We received transportation enhancement dollars for this. This just says we’ll follow the guidelines to receive those funds.”

The feasibility study for the trail was approved by supervisors nearly a year ago.

Under a deal approved in August by the Fort Dodge City Council, the city will give the county a $350,000 grant it received for trails, plus $225,000 in matching funds. The agreement stipulated that the county would use that money to complete the trail loop around Badger Lake by November 2021.

In return, the county will build a paved trail from the current northern endpoint of the Nature Trail at 170th Street to a spot near 160th Street and Oates Avenue at its cost, to be completed by November 2022.

Cosgrove said that the IDOT agreement, provided through Iowa’s Transportation Alternatives Program Project, puts the Badger Lake Trail Loop on track for bid letting by July. Assuming no interruptions, construction will start by this fall.

Civil Service commissioner appointment

Jessica Smith was confirmed as the new Civil Service commissioner to complete the remaining portion of the six-year term vacated by former Commissioner Mike Johnson.

Johnson resigned to allow the appointment of someone else based on Iowa code requirements that no more than two of the three commissioners be of the same political party.

The Civil Service Commission handles testing for deputy candidates for the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.

“Jessica will be a great asset for us,” said Supervisor Bob Thode, noting that several people applied for the position.

Truck chassis purchases

Supervisors approved truck chassis and truck up-fitting purchases totaling $2.3 million Tuesday.

The chassis were purchased from Rees Truck and Trailer, of Fort Dodge, for $1,281,532. Up-fitting was purchased from Hiway Truck Equipment, of Fort Dodge, for $1,020,140.

County Engineer Jamie Johll said the Rees purchase will cover 10 chassis. The supplier has continued to honor a quote from fiscal year 2018.

Up-fitting will include other functional necessities like dump bodies, snow equipment, hydraulic push arms, wing plows, blades and lights.

Johll solicited a second quote from Henderson Manufacturing of Manchester, which came in higher than Hiway Truck Equipment. Iowa code does not require counties to solicit bids for this type of equipment.

Federal Emergency Management Agency funds will cover 75% of the costs; the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will cover 10%.

FEMA previously awarded the county money to complete repairs on an embankment slide. After Johll proposed an improved design that was cheaper than the original design, FEMA allowed the county to apply the cost savings towards upgrading equipment.