County Engineer Clark Rusco continues to meet with Kansas Department of Transportation officials concerning the KDOT High Risk Rural Roads signing grant. This is a $200,000 grant to help pay for signage that meets new, more stringent national traffic standards.
It was noted during County Administrator Richard Boeckman’s update to the County Commission Monday morning that a major topic for discussion centered around the construction engineering services for work done by Barton County. Rusco also reviewed HRRR grant application for rumble strip installation by county crews.
Rusco met with a consultant concerning the construction engineering for HRRR project for the replacement of regulatory and warning signs. The project will begin this fall.
He said his staff has been compiling the data and photography for submission to KDOT. Grants will be 90/10 cost share.
In addition, he has completed the grant request documents for a HRRR signage grant and a HRRR rumble strip grant. Both grants would be completed by county Road and Bridge crews. Award notifications will be in two or three months.
Other highlights of Boeckman’s report included:
 
Road and Bridge Shop Foreman Gary Demel
Road and Bridge
Asphalt Projects
• North Washington, NW 30 Road, NW 40 Avenue, NW 30 Avenue, NW 120 Avenue, NW 30/40 Avenue, NW 100 Road, NW 80 Avenue, NW 90 Road
• Venture has completed mixing asphalt. There has been 20,000 tons used.
Mowing, project areas
• North of Ellinwood and east to the County Line
• South and East of Ellinwood west to US 281
• US 281 to US 156 south of Great Bend
• NW 30 Road
• Great Bend Area
Sealing
• Started July this week. Anticipate 96 miles in west and southwest Barton County. Other identified projects include Odin, Claflin and at the Barton County Landfill
 
Solid Waste Manager Mark Witt
In the last reporting period:
• 980.72 tons of municipal solid waste
• 326.60 tons of construction/demolition waste
• 74.85 tons of special waste
• 225.69 tons of sodium chloride impacted soil
• 423.95 tons of contaminated railroad ballast/soil
• 70.99 tons of petroleum contaminated soil
• 622 loads of waste received for disposal
• $69,719.58 revenue generated through disposal fees

911 Director Doug Hubbard
May 2013 Statistics
 911 landlines - 339
911 wireless - 1,101
Administrative lines - 10,802
Total calls - 12,242
Radio calls - 98,516
 Calls for service - 3,404

Information Technology Director John Debes
• Researching an upgrade of mapping equipment for LIDAR maps. LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote-sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. These light pulses – combined with other data recorded by the airborne system – generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics. Maps generated with this technology, which are very precise, are ahead of current mapping capabilities.

Health Director Lily Akings
Clinic contacts - 212
• Immunizations - 81
• Family Planning - 65
• Healthy Start Home Visitor - 11
• Maternal and Infant - 10
• Sexually Transmitted Disease - 10
• Tuberculosis - 23
• Communicable Disease Investigation - 4
• Child Care Licensing - 3
• Adult Health - 4