The Webster County Board of Supervisors approved multiple pay applications and change orders Tuesday that will complete the Dayton Trail Project and ongoing quality of life projects.

“Another one checked off the list,” said Webster County Conservation Director Matt Cosgrove at Tuesday’s meeting. “Our quality of life projects are winding down. The Gowrie project has actually been done for a while and we’re just waiting on one change order that was a drainage issue, and so this is the final acceptance and payment to Howrey Construction for the projects.”

The supervisors approved a pay application of $63,261.82 for the Gowrie Trail Project as well as $173,164.61 for the Dayton Trail project. A change order from Rasch Construction Inc., of Fort Dodge, was also approved for $57,624.04 for the Dayton Trail project.

The projects are fully reimbursed through the State of Iowa.

According to Cosgrove, the Webster County Conservation staff will be doing the repair seeding along the trail to close out the project.

The supervisors also approved a pay application of $34,763.90 to Thies LLC, Empire Excavation, of Arthur, for the Meier Marsh Wetland Enhancement and Oxbow Restoration Project, which is located near the border of Webster and Calhoun counties. According to Cosgrove, the project is moving slower than anticipated due to the wet season.

“This is not the year to be doing a wetland project with all the rain that we’ve had,” said Cosgrove. “Lizard Creek has been out of the banks multiple times in this area, but he’s out there on-site trying to get work done, but it’s a slow going process.”

The wetland project is also being done through a partnership with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

The supervisors approved a commitment of $12,500 to Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund.

“This trust helps low to moderate income home owners in Webster County,” said Supervisor Nathan Montgomery. “The trust is applying for 2026 funding through the Iowa Finance Authority. It’s eligible for $181,000 this year and so our match is $12,500 here in Webster County.”

The supervisors approved plans for a short bridge replacement in Gowrie at Fairbanks Avenue over drainage ditch 196.

“This project is on Gowrie city limits,” said Webster County Engineer Jamie Johll. “It’s a short bridge, and since it’s on city limits we were able to apply for a grant through the city bridge fund.”

The county was granted $500,000 which will fully fund the project that will replace the short bridge with a 16-foot-by-16-foot box culvert with work being completed next spring.

The supervisors also approved the purchase of a pickup truck from Shimkat Motor Co., of Fort Dodge, for $49,861 for the Secondary Roads Department and the purchase of a jetter from MacQueen Equipment, of Des Moines, for $97,296.61. According to Johll, the jetter equipment is able to pressurize water streams to cut through tree roots, clean out tiles, and is used in cleaning out driveway culverts.

The supervisors also heard from Jefferson Fosbender, economic development director with the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, regarding the approval of an Iowa Economic Development Authority reimbursement agreement for county site certification.

“As we’re looking to wrap up our site certification efforts hopefully in the next couple weeks, this is just one of the last items,” said Fosbender. “It’s a one-page agreement that says if we are awarded site certification later this year that we will not use that ground for anything other than certified industrial purposes. It’s an agreement between the state and the county for five years.”

A road use agreement with Twin Rivers Exploration was also approved Tuesday allowing the company to seismic test roadways in northeast Webster County.

“They have a vibratory machine that drives down the center of the road and stops every 30 feet and vibrates the road as they search for hydrogen,” said Johll. “We have an agreement that they will stay 25 feet from any drainage structures and 250 feet from any bridges.”