Marion County Board Chair Debbie Smith appointed a special committee at Tuesday night’s meeting to oversee planning for the county’s Bicentennial Celebration.
The county will celebrate its 200th birthday in January of next year. The committee chaired by Wes Gozia will coordinate what activities will be planned next year to celebrate. Other county board members who voted to serve on the committee are Chris Krupp, Adam Smith, Angie Heistand, and Deb Reid.
The board approved a $48,500 contract with Gonzales Company of Salem to develop engineering plans for a new bridge on the Range Road west of U.S. 51. That section of Range Road is currently closed due to the failure of the bridge. County Highway Engineer Mike McCormick says unfortunately it will be three to four years before the new bridge can be completed and the road reopened. The engineering plans are the first phase of the lengthy process. McCormick says the state will pay for 80-percent of the bridge with the county and township responsible for the other 20-percent.
McCormick is still working on obtaining the right of way for a new bridge on Church Road east of Route 37 South of Salem. He reported some difficulty in reaching some property owners but is still hopeful of a March bid letting and the new bridge being constructed this spring.
