Public Works committee hears updates on new facility, landfill committee
Work on the new Polk County Public Woeks facility is set to move forward in the coming weeks, but a slight delay is in store for the time being.
County Manager Matt Denton told the county commission's public works committee during their Oct. 20 meeting that with paperwork signed on thr project, contractors have six weeks to get started and 175 days in total to finish the new facility.
It will sit next to the Polk County Police Department.
Denton said the mobilization period for contractors, and thus the ticking clock for the project to be done started on Oct. 17.
The delay in getting worked site work going immediately was caused by Hurricane Matthew, Denton said. Initial power requirements on site can't be wired until crews on temporary assignment return from Georgia Power's response to the storm and repairs needed in coastal counties.
"There's not much we can do but wait for them to get back and start the work on running electrical to the site," Denton said.
Some site preparation work was done last year in anticipation of getting bids done by the beginning of 2016, but delays in the process of picking contractors and in making changes to the plans pushed the con- struction back.
New landfill committee soon to be filled
Polk County will soon have a local citizens advisory committee for the landfill after more than a month of seeking out volunteers to sit for a term on the coming board.
Commissioners will soon have names to vote onto the board after four people have shown interest and turned in application forms according to Denton, and another two have sought information about serving.
Denton said his hopes are to be able to submit names for to the five member board at the upcoming Nov. 8 county commission session.
Appointments would start on Jan. 1, 2017 and continue through Dec. 31, 2018.
Other issues to come before the public works committee during their October session included updates about the Blance Road project still in the planning stages, and bids for cleaning up the airport hangars of pigeon poop.
The lone bid opened during the meeting seemed too high for commissioners, Denton reported, and that they'll seek to find savings and put it back out to bid if the other commissioners agree to the process during the November session.