The Atchison County Commission met Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Present were: Presiding Commissioner Curtis Livengood, South District Commissioner Richard Burke, and North District Commissioner Jim Quimby. Susette Taylor, Clerk of the Commission, was present via conference call for discussion.
Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Bills were reviewed and approved for payment. Month-end settlements and reports were reviewed and approved by the commission.
Mandy and Trevor Whipple, owners of Connection Counseling and Wellness, met with the commission to discuss the services they have been providing. Their services focus on the mental well-being of those in and around Atchison County. Julie Livengood, Atchison County Health Director, was able to obtain a Health Disparities Grant through the CDC that has allowed the opportunity to assist with mental health needs and has created a collaboration between the Atchison County Health Department and Connections Counseling and Wellness. The goals for their original meetings were to secure grant funding for: Parenting With Love and Logic; Anger Management; Getting Ahead in a Just Getting By World; Grief Support; Anxiety and Depression Support; Celebrate Recovery; and Certified Peer Specialist. Through the grant funding they were able to meet their goals. The commission is considering entering into an intergovernmental agreement with Connection Counseling and Wellness to direct funds the county has received from a national opioid settlement with several companies, that have specific guidelines for use of the funds. The commission wants to put the funds to the best use for the citizens of the county. Further discussion will be held as the agreement is drawn up.
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The Atchison County Commission met Thursday, June 8, 2023. Present were: Presiding Commissioner Curtis Livengood, South District Commissioner Richard Burke, and North District Commissioner Jim Quimby. Susette Taylor, Clerk of the Commission, was absent.
Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Bills were reviewed and approved for payment. Month-end settlements and reports were reviewed and approved by the commission.
Bids for placing another retaining wall along the south side of the courthouse were opened and read at 9:00 a.m. Maintenance Supervisor Greg Beck was present for the bid opening. Hale Construction and Services, LLC, submitted the only bid, in the amount of $52,570.00. After reviewing the bid, the commission tabled the vote until Tuesday, June 13.
Road and Bridge Supervisor Kamron Woodring met with the commission to discuss department matters.
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The Atchison County Commission met Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Present were: Presiding Commissioner Curtis Livengood, South District Commissioner Richard Burke, and North District Commissioner Jim Quimby, and Susette Taylor, Clerk of the Commission.
Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Bills were reviewed and approved for payment.
The commission met with Road and Bridge Supervisor Kamron Woodring. He presented Sourcewell state bid contract #070821-SCI from Schulte Industries Ltd., for an XH1500 Series 5 rotary cutter (bid price $44,756.31) and a FLX-1510 Flex Arm Wing Cutter (bid price $29,972.96). After a lengthy discussion about the uses and safety concerns related to the current mowing equipment, the commissioners voted to purchase the mower using the state bid. The bid agreement was signed by Presiding Commissioner Livengood.
The commission took up the matter of reviewing the bid for the retaining wall on the south side of the courthouse. After discussion about the bank being a continued issue with not being able to keep a mower on it or getting anything to grow, the commissioners voted to accept the bid from Hale Construction, LLC. The retaining wall is to be completed by November 30, 2023. Presiding Commissioner Livengood will sign the contract.
Several months ago, the commission agreed to a free inspection of the courthouse and sheriff’s office by Renodry USA. Their specialists carried out a masonry diagnostic examination and provided the commission and building supervisor Greg Beck with photos and a detailed summary of their findings. They reviewed the findings and designed a custom solution to rid the buildings of the significant damaging moisture that was found. The commission requested a list of references of Missouri courthouses that had already installed their system. Over the past several months the commissioners have been visiting with other commissioners around the state to see if they can see a difference in the moisture levels within their buildings after the Renodry system was installed. Every commissioner that was contacted said they would install it again. They had seen a difference and felt it was a good investment to protect the building. The Renodry system provides a permanent solution to eliminate ground moisture and salts that destroy building foundations. The commissioners reviewed the two firm bid estimates, one for the sheriff’s office and a separate one for the courthouse, each falling under the required bid amount. The commissioners voted to accept the bids.
The commission continued discussion with Clerk Taylor about allocating opioid settlement funds within the budget to Connection Counseling and Wellness to help offset the costs they have incurred and will incur related to working with Atchison County patients needing opioid counseling and assistance. Clerk Taylor will contact Attorney Ivan Schraeder to see what type of agreement or contract should be in place for the transfer of funds.
Clerk Taylor advised the commission that half of the new office furniture has been installed to provide election security to her office. The new desk system is designed to block access to the vault, where ballots are stored during elections, and provide needed desk space to add separation of duties, placing everything for elections on a single computer. The other half is currently being designed and will be in place before the presidential election year. She reported that 100% of the project was paid for through an election security grant she received from the Secretary of State’s Office.
