One of the St. Joseph County Road Commission’s (SJCRC) leading staff recently received the top award in the state for a rural road engineer. At a regular SJCRC meeting Wednesday morning, board members learned that Assistant Director and Engineer Garrett Myland received the “Rural Engineer of the Year” award from the County Road Association of Michigan (CRA). An award also goes to the “Urban Engineer of the Year,” but for the “Rural” title, Myland won over engineers in similar positions all around the state.
Rodney Chupp
The St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) approved its 2021 Fiscal Year budget at a work session Wednesday. As passed, the 2021 budget includes a rough total of $12.5 million in projected revenues and $13.1 million in projected expenses. Commissioners and staff also recognized outgoing commissioner John Bippus for his 10 years of service.
The St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) voted Wednesday to pay half the total amount to replace sprinklers damaged by road work equipment in White Pigeon Township earlier this year. Residents in the Wahbememe subdivision had sprinklers installed outside their own property lines and within the property of adjacent, county-owned throughfares when road work required use of a grader, which uses a long, narrow, horizontal blade to scrape roadbed surfaces level. After discussion, commissioners agreed to pay half the replacement costs and to warn that items placed in roadway property in the future could be subject to damage without compensation. Commissioners also approved health plans, received updates on road work, and conducted an annual evaluation for Managing Director John Lindsey.
White Pigeon Township Supervisor Don Gloy appeared at a St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) work session Wednesday to ask commissioners to consider compensating some of the township’s residents for recent damage that occurred during a subdivision paving project.
Following an alignment of several funding sources recently, St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) staff said the Langley Covered bridge will receive an extensive overhaul in 2023 at a board meeting Tuesday. Funding from the state legislature and the Southwest Region Bridge Council of Michigan (SWBC) will fund a significant portion of the work. SJCRC will provide some of its own funds and Managing Director John Lindsey said he hopes the County Commission will close a remaining gap.
Following a public hearing Wednesday morning, members of the St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) voted to abandon a section of Union Street in Mottville Township.
St. Joseph County Road Commission Managing Director John Lindsey discussed possible fleet replacement options with commission board members at a work session Wednesday.