Commissioners press for clearer Road & Bridge scheduling after culvert confusion and new dust‑control vendor

County road and bridge officials told the Atchison County Board of Commissioners on May 19 that Phase 3 of Ottawa Road will begin immediately after Phase 2 is completed, following guidance from the project engineer. Commissioners agreed that the engineer’s recommendation did not require an additional delay.

Staff reported confusion over a delivered culvert: a culvert was placed nearby, but some county personnel and commissioners said they were not notified, which complicated scheduling. Road and Bridge staff said rain and muddy conditions have tightened available windows for work and that they will coordinate possible Monday–Tuesday work windows when ground conditions permit.

Commissioners and staff discussed dust‑control vendor coordination. Historically the county worked with a company referred to in the transcript as Scottwoods (also rendered as Scottwood); this year a different vendor, Browning, reportedly delivered and worked differently—apparently working larger areas at once rather than splitting work by sections. Staff said Browning can be easier to coordinate with but that the change created communication gaps: townships and county crews were not always given advance notice and preparation was rushed. Commissioners directed staff to improve advance notice to township officials and to create a clearer prep and notification process for future runs.

On procurement, the board approved final payment for engineering plans to BG Consultants for work on the proposed county building; staff said the payment covered the remaining contracted amount and had been budgeted. The transcript records the PO amount incompletely as "$4,94"; the exact remaining payment amount was not specified in the meeting record.

Staff also described a narrow proposed agreement with a private party (referred to as "nutrient") that would fund a concrete entry pad; staff said the county intends to draft a narrowly written agreement limiting broader application and will circulate the draft to Emily and Roger for review before sending it to the private party.

What’s next: Commissioners asked staff to improve township notifications, confirm culvert location and ownership, finalize the BG Consultants payment per contract records, and circulate the draft concrete agreement for review before execution.