The Marion County Highway Department is a step closer to getting a new home.
The Marion County Board Tuesday night purchased a 12 acre tract of land at US 50 and South Hoots Chapel Road at a cost of $90,000 for the new facility. The current Highway Department Garage is landlocked in a residential area off West Whitaker Street next to a day care facility.
Highway Engineer Mike McCormick says the current building was constructed in 1939 has lots of issues making it easier and more cost effective to start over. He says the new facility will also help them provide more services.
“We would love to provide winter services like what the state does, but we don’t have the means because we don’t have the facility. We can’t store the equipment. We don’t have the facility to make the product you use to help with that. We’ve got equipment sitting outside which under statute that’s not suppose to be that way. You are supposed to have it under a roof.”
McCormick says completion of the project is three to five years away. The highway department has money set aside for the project.
The county board also approved a $370,000 contract with DePew and Owen Builders of Centralia to replace a bridge on Church Road just east of Route 37 that has been closed to traffic for several years because it is unsafe. McCormick expects work to begin in six to eight weeks and to be completed this summer.
The state will pay for 80-percent of the cost and the county and township 10-percent apiece.
