1. Boring work for updating fiber optics, state grant for underwater camera
on short County Commission meeting agenda
By Jacob Snyder
Cedar County News
Two new tools may be added to the county toolbox soon.
Cedar County Emergency Manager Kevin Garvin recently received a Homeline Security
Grant for $9,500, which could go toward purchasing two new pieces of equipment, a dual use
camera for both land and underwater use and portable generator.
“Grant Funds allocated to State and Local Emergency Management agencies that are not
allocated to be spent by the grant deadline get put back into a pool and that money can be
reallocated to local agencies that can demonstrate a need and meet the grant requirements
within 30 days,” Garvin explained.
After gaining approval, Garvin has started researching the cost of a camera and portable
generator.
The next step is going through the federal procurement process. This will verify or deny
whether certain items can be bought with the grant money.
“It'll take about a week if all goes well,” he said. “We have to have this all wrapped up in
the next 30 days.”
Garvin did not choose the two products arbitrarily. While completing search and rescue
exercises last year, Garvin realized having a dual use camera would be beneficial especially
since the number of search and rescue calls on both land and water have increased in the past
year.
As for the portable generator, it could be used in a variety of settings including in a boat,
on an ATV, or be carried, Garvin said.
Boring work on county road right-of-ways will start this summer so fiber optics used
for television and the internet cable can be updated.
Boring will be done in Precincts 8-14 in District 3 and “a small portion” of District 1,
according to District 3 Commissioner Dave McGregor. Bauer Construction, Norfolk, and RVW
Engineering, Columbus, have been hired to complete the work.
District 1 Commissioner Terry Pinkelman said a pre-construction meeting, which has
not been arranged yet, will be held before the project starts.
Commissioners said the boring would not upset traffic flow except where the boring is
being done much or cause outages.
Commissioners also wanted to remind the public that once the street is torn up, starting
June 5, customers will have to park in the back of the courthouse on the concrete and enter
from the east.
County Clerk Dave Dowling also shared a letter stating that their grant application for
the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants Program was not selected this year since
Cedar County has been awarded one within the past three years.
The next County Commission meeting will be June 11 at 8:30 a.m.