Barnes County Highway Department team joins Commissioners for a Meet & Greet
Barnes County Highway Superintendent, Jamie Smith, joined by several members of her team, for a Meet & Greet with the Barnes County Commissioners on March 19th.
Commissioner Cindy Schwehr shared with the Times-Record that the reason for the visit was to visit about “How things are going with the Barnes County Highway Department and how we (the commissioners and people of Barnes County) can make their jobs a little easier. The meet & greet was very insightful for all of us.” she said.
Smith opened the Meet & Greet with the introduction of her team, “It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the men and women of the Barnes County Highway Department. I am so very fortunate to be a part of this amazing team and wanted you to know the faces of the men and women who show up every day (no matter the weather) to serve the people of this county. There are no words that effectively describe how privileged I feel to serve alongside them each day.” she said.
Barnes County Highway
Department Team:
Tim Tangen- Road Foreman, 33 years of service
Ryan Metcalf- Foreman, 5 years of service
Myron Willey- Mechanic, 11 years of service
Heather Manson- Admin. III, 6 years of service
Jacob Piatz- Equipment Operator III, 8 years of service
Dick Korf- Equipment Operator III, 18 years of service
Richard “Birdman” Risser- Equipment Operator II, 18 years of service
Todd Smith-Equipment Operator II, 14 years of service
Trent Larson- Equipment Operator II, 12 years of service
Dustin Suhr- Equipment Operator II, 5 years
Garret Suhr- Equipment Operator II, 3 years
Shane Olauson- Equipment Operator II, 2 years
Jason Metcalf- Equipment Operator II, 1 year
New to the team this year:
Matt Miller- Equipment Operator II
Bob Reinsel- Equipment Operator II
“This crew is so much more than just blade men, snowplow operator’s and secretaries. They are the heartbeat of the county.
They truly are public servants and are committed to providing a safe and effective transportation system for the residents of Barnes County and for anyone passing through. Our team strives for excellence in everything that we do. We value safety & most importantly, we value each other.
These 15 people are tasked with plowing and maintaining 330 county road miles. Blading, plowing snow, sign repair & installations for 36 townships and 7 cities/villages. They maintain and repair 2,700+ county road signs, 1600+ county culverts, 40 small structures & bridges and 42 large structures & bridges. Along with maintenance and repairs to the county equipment fleet.
This past year alone, they inventoried & inspected those 1600+ culverts. Maintained, repaired, and replaced 21 culverts, hauled 17,471 yards of gravel, placed 349.6 tons of patching material, cut down every tree & shrub that was encroaching on the county right away, logged 3,687.5 hours of blading, 997 hours of snow plowing, 156.25 hours of salt sanding & 253 hours of mowing. Not to mention countless other tasks ranging from picking up dead animals, patching potholes, performing in slope repairs, rip rapping, chip sealing & removing beaver dams.
In the next 2 months their goals, along with the duties previously mentioned, are to complete the placement of 6,000 gallons of oil and 27,630 pounds of tar and to repair a small structure in Alta Township.
I’m sure you can all agree with me that this is a very ambitious & committed group of individuals. Their commitment to excellence is evident and I can not wait to see what they are able to accomplish moving forward.
Please join me in thanking them for their dedication to the people of the county and the Highway Department.” Smith says.
The Times-Record joins the surrounding communities of Barnes County in sharing a special thank you to the Barnes County Highway Department and Jamie Smith for all that you do to keep our roads safe, all seasons of the year. We appreciate all of you! Submitted photo.