A visit by the Donahue family of Durham, along with their attorney, met with Marion County Commissioners Monday to get a bridge updated on 240th at Clover Road near the Donahue’s Hay Hook Ranch and pointed out what commissioners see as a growing problem.

Commissioner Dan Holub said even though Marion County has done a good job upgrading bridges, the growth in big trucks—many of them semi-trucks—to haul large loads of grain and livestock, is deteriorating bridges designed for an earlier era, not to handle such large loads.

Attorney Chris Costello, representing Jim, Tim and Andy Donahue at the meeting, said the Donahues have to have a man on site to guide semi-trucks hauling cattle over a 15-ton-limit, S-shaped bridge. Tim said they also have grain delivered over the bridge.

Holub said grain and cattle trucks of this nature frequently carry 40 tons on bridges designed for less than half of that.

The Donahues said they would like a new, straight bridge, or a least more structural support built under the existing bridge.

Commissioner Bob Hein, acting as chair in the absence of Randy Dallke, said the commission must check with Milton Obermyer of the engineering firm of Cooke, Flatt and Strobel, to see what might be done in design of the bridge.

He said the three commissioners would drive out to look at the bridge.

“Let us talk about it, and we’ll get back to you,” Hein said.

Road and Bridge Director John Summerville said the bridge in question has passed inspection, and wasn’t immediately slated for rebuilding.

Solid waste issues

Rollin Schmidt, transfer station director, said the Hamm Landfill at Perry will begin charging a higher fuel surcharge for Marion County’s tipping fees based on a formula using $1.85 a gallon diesel when the county began its contract upgraded to today’s more than $3.

Schmidt said the county delivered 25 loads of municipal solid waste to the landfill in December at an average 20.23 tons per load. There were 386 loads of MSW delivered for the year 2007.

Other agenda

Park and Lake Superintendent Steve Hudson said a new state fishing survey forecast shows that among lakes not including federal reservoirs, Marion County Lake ranked ninth in crappie, fourth in white bass and fifth in saugeye.

Hudson has replaced brush piles for spawning in some areas by installing pvc pipe structures.

Appraiser Cindy Magill said the administrative burden for her office is increasing because persons in the Neighborhood Revitalization Program that gives tax rebates aren’t filing needed papers so repeated reminders are sent out.

The commissioners awarded repair of an ice storm damaged appraiser’s office car to Hillsboro Body Shop for $1,551 over a competitive bid of $1,688 from Arleigh’s Paint, Body and Glass from Marion.

Emergency Medical Services Director Steve Smith reported 117 ambulance runs for December including 22 from Peabody, 12 from Florence, 37 from Marion, 37 from Hillsboro and nine from Tampa.

They included 16 transfers, four cardiacs, 31 medical emergency, 14 standby, six motor vehicle accidents, 16 falls, 23 no transports, three 10-22 and four other. There were seven first-response runs: one each from Burns and Durham and five from Goessel.

Smith said it appears the number of flu cases are increasing. He will host an EagleMed landing zone class for Marion, Durham and Tampa fire departments Feb. 20.

Smith said the ambulance department had a quarterly write-off on unpaid bills at $2,755.

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