Progress on Valmeyer Road in Columbia was the topic of discussion not only during Tuesday night’s Columbia City Council meeting, but also Tuesday morning’s Monroe County Board session.During discussion of the ongoing Bluff Road bridge project with commissioners, Casey Carnahan of the Monroe County Highway Department noted the speedy work of crews on the Valmeyer Road slope failure repair work that began last week.

On Tuesday night, Columbia City Administrator Doug Brimm offered an update on the project. 

Brimm reported the city received word that it will not be required to buy any potentially costly stream mitigation credits required by environmental agencies when waterways are disturbed during a public works project.

Brimm thanked Columbia Engineer Chris Smith for working with the relevant parties to propose “improvements made downstream to offset the perceived impact” of the repair work.

There will be a cost associated with those improvements, though.

Brimm explained that the city believed its public works department could manage the improvements consisting mostly of riprap and other rock along Carr Creek west of the project site.

The decision to bring in outside labor was made in hopes of completing the repairs as soon as possible.

In a another time-saving measure, alderman Tuesday night approved waiving the formal bidding process required for projects exceeding $25,000.

Brimm explained the city would still contact a minimum of three vendors for the project, which will include labor and material cost.

Smith added that the final expense will not be known until all the materials are purchased. The amount of rock needed will not be known until that aspect of the project has begun.

Smith added time is of the essence due to the concurrent work on the Bluff Road bridge, and with the possibility of work vehicle using adjacent fields as turnabouts, Smith wants to have work completed before rains soften the soil and spring planting begins.

Bids are expected to be submitted prior an authorization vote during the next council meeting Feb. 2.

Read more in the Jan. 28 issue of the Republic-Times, or click here for recent coverage of Valmeyer Road repairs.