The regular meeting of the Burnett County Highway Committee convened on Wednesday, September 14, 2005. The meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m. by Chairman Larry Main. Also present were Eldon Freese, Bert Lund Jr., Commissioner Morehouse, Jeff Scanlon, Sheila Bristol and Todd Beckmann (Sentinel).

There were no appearances by the public.

The minutes of the August regular meeting were approved on a Freese/Lund motion. Motion carried.

The Commissioner reported on meeting with the Administration and Finance Manager to review the Highway Department's 2006 Committee-approved budget. No adjustments have been made up to this point. Chairman Main stated that the Finance Committee is scheduled to meet September 27th-29th to review and approve all budgets. Department heads will be contacted if they need to attend.

The Commissioner reported that he has contacted Mr. Wiberg and requested that the 20 acres he wants to sell be staked out to clarify the boundaries. He stated he will then be able to give a recommendation on the gravel pit's purchase, however is still not sure where the money would come from.

An update was given on the speed limit proposal affecting CTH-A (from Oak Lake to Banach Road). The Commissioner is still awaiting the WI DOT Traffic Safety Engineer's decision if the State can complete the traffic study or if a private firm would need to be hired.

The Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) update was presented by the Commissioner. He will be dispersing the Township information packets soon. Two committees will need to be established to administer both the Local and County portions of the programs. The Local Program received an increase in the amount of $15,242, while the County will receive a 2% increase.

The Commissioner reported that Jeremy Burton was hired to replace the vacancy left by Gene Cummings. He stated that Candace Fitzgerald, County Administrator/Human Resources Director had instructed the Commissioner to proceed with the replacement.

The Fall Committee/Commissioner meeting will be held on October 13th, in Hayward. The Commissioner encouraged all committee members to attend.

The Commissioner plans to extend the ten-hour four-day work week until October 20 or the end of the construction season. He reported that a letter had been received from the Union mutually agreeing to the extension.

The Commissioner is still awaiting written proposals from Swiss and Blaine Townships regarding the potential jurisdictional transfer of the Riverside cutoff.

The Commissioner reported on the new surfacing technique applied to a bridge on CTH-B. He stated the abrasive black surface applied to the concrete slab should attract the sun and melt off snow and ice in winter months. The only drawback he cited was the need to let the application set for twenty-four hours.

The following Facility Updates were discussed by the Commissioner:

Water and Sewer Process
Correspondence shared from Cheryl Flor, PE from SHE regarding water flow for both present and future expansions. Still awaiting figures from the Village of Siren.

Telephone System
Burnett County Government Center Maintenance Supervisor Faught is close to completing the task of modernizing the present system. Most of the telephone equipment has been installed. Some testing and programming options remain.

An Open Project Status Report for August was dispersed and reviewed, see attached.

State Projects

· A revised Routine Maintenance Agreement for 2005 was received with an increase of $34,800.
· A substantial increase can be expected in 2006.

Township Projects

· Several projects have been added.

County Projects-Construction

· CTH U-complete.
· CTH X-complete.
· CTH C-CANCELED LACK OF FUNDS.

County Projects-Maintenance

· CTH-C: STH 35 to CTH-U, CANCELED LACK OF FUNDS.

An Equipment Status/Condition report was given by Commissioner Morehouse.

· Unit #203-mower-transmission repair needed.
· Unit #220-loader-parking brake issue, repairs under warranty.
· New tri-axle getting box and hydraulics installed.

September vouchers in the amount of $244,021.86 were presented for payment. There was a motion by Lund/Main to authorize and confirm all vouchers presented for payment. Motion carried.

The next regular meeting of the Burnett County Highway Committee will be held on Tuesday October 18, 2005 at 8:00 a.m.

Motion to adjourn the meeting by Freese/Main. Motion carried.