Water district opts to cross the road

CHARLESTON - The Mississippi County rural water district opted to cross the road to avoid cutting a gravel driveway after a resident objected, but they won't next time.

Mississippi County commissioners reviewed a letter from attorney John Oliver during their regular meeting Thursday that removed any doubt: the county does have the authority to use roadside right-of-ways for the installation of utilities or to give permission to utility companies to use the right-of-way.

In other county business:

* Commissioners agreed to direct Richard Wallace, county road and bridge superintendent, to measure the length grooves cut into the blacktop of a county road by a farmer's disc machinery.

"I've got a problem with it when they run down the road," said Blumenberg. The repairs will not be made until next year's blacktop season, but commissioners will contact Wallace to "get an estimate on what it will cost and see what to do about it" as well as to determine who damaged the road to advise they must cover the cost of repairing the damage they caused.

* Commissioners discussed contracting for a profile of the Maple Slough ditch north of Interstate 57 north to its point of origin for a clean out. The section is a little over two miles.