Supervisors approve architectural-engineering services for new secondary roads yard

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 25 approved an architectural-engineering services agreement for the early designs and administration of a new yard and engineer’s office, which officials say will provide local crews with better access to secondary roads and improve county services.

Jasper County Engineer Mike Frietsch said the current secondary roads yard/engineer’s office at 910 N. 11th Ave. E. is at least one-and-a-half miles within the city limits of Newton. In addition to housing office staff, the property has a number of shops, salt bins, vehicles and fuel pumps on site.

With the added distance it takes for crews to access the county’s gravel roads and unincorporated territories from the current office, it adds extra travel time and accident risk. Frietsch said structures on the property are also inadequately sized for today’s equipment and are exhibiting deficiencies due to age.

“So our department, given the funding that’s available to us now — that’s been allocated — our department is proposing a multi-year, multi-phased approach to design and construct a new yard and associated structures,” he said. “The new yard we’re proposing to be constructed behind the sheriff’s department.”

The new yard/engineer’s office would be located along Liberty Avenue.

Early work of the project will involve the development of the eastern side of the new yard and the construction of a plow truck shed, salt storage structure and fuel pumping and storage systems. This completed portion of the project will provide an enclosed heated space for plow trucks in the winter months.

As the project progresses, the remainder of the yard, a second access driveway and construction of a second outbuilding and office-shop will be developed. The county is also proposing to deliver the project using the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) method, a newly coded program in the state.

In order to get the project moving, the county needs a project design team. FRK Architects & Engineers will lead the project design team, which also includes Calhoun-Burns & Associates and IMEG. Frietsch said the three firms have experience with similar projects in Henry, Keokuk, Marion and Webster Counties.

Jasper County Supervisor Brandon Talsma confirmed with Newton News that ARPA will be used to pay for the architectural-engineering services for the new yard. When the board of supervisors gets the final numbers from the engineer and agrees to the project, the county will use ARPA funds for that.

“That was part of why we approved what we approved today,” Talsma later told Newton News. “Get the engineering done and get firm numbers on the project.”

FRK will complete the early design work for a total of $80,500 and provide construction administration services for $13,400. Frietsch said the $93,900 price tag was reasonable at only 2.8 percent of the projected $3.4 million total cost. Frietsch said the county is finding ways to save money along the way.

Every structure that will be built in the yard will be under 12,000 square feet, which could very well help the county avoid installation of costly fire suppression systems. Frietsch later told Newton News that a hydrant will be located near the yard buildings in case of a fire emergency.

Frietsch expects dirt work to begin by December.

Jasper County Supervisor Doug Cupples said he is OK with the project but it is a little scary, referring to the costs. Frietsch acknowledged those concerns, saying this is why his office is taking this project in steps. He also told supervisors the surveying work is being done in house, which saves the county money.

In a follow-up interview with Newton News, Frietsch said the scope of services approved at the supervisors meaning is a small part to a larger project. In the past, the location of the engineer’s office made sense. Frietsch referenced an old picture from the 1970s hanging in the office, which shows a nearby gravel road.

The oldest building on the current yard dates back to the 1930s.

“Our yard is now surrounded by the city,” he said. “So you basically have a secondary roads yard buried within the city.”

If supply chains and equipment arrives as planned and the prices are not too high, Frietsch said the first phase of the project could be completed by October 2023. This means the secondary roads department could be operating out of the new yard by next winter.

“I think it’s going to be a benefit to the county. It would be a benefit to get county’s secondary roads employees out into the county sooner, quicker,” Frietsch said.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext 560 or at cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com