BISBEE — After three months of heading up the Cochise County Highway and Floodplain Department, Bennie Young provided the Board of Supervisors a glimpse into a future of better roads and flood control if more money could be funneled into road projects.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Young presented the Board of Supervisors with a challenge to come up with $40 million to cover what he called a “modest program” to meet county roadway needs over the next 10 years. He has some ideas to propose to the supervisors, but said he would share them in a work session on the topic.

Of one thing he is sure: He wants to include the county residents in the talks and maybe cover road improvement districts.

“That way the citizens will be able to understand what our constraints are,” he said.

He based his outlook on a 2007 study conducted by county engineer Allon Owen, who made clear the county needed more funding just to maintain the current road system.

In that fiscal year, the county’s Highway User Revenue Funds were cut from $15.9 million to $14.8 million, said Patricia Morris, an engineer with the Highway and Floodplain Department. HURF is distributed to the county generally based on population, the number of vehicles registered in the county and gas sales.

More cuts have occurred for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

Young said unmet needs in the county road system would require $100 million, but that $40 million spent over 10 years would improve the paved streets and dirt roads. Of that, $25 million could be spent on 600 miles of paved roads such as Moson, Davis and Kansas Settlement that have a high level of traffic with $12 million going for maintenance needs of the 900 miles of unpaved dirt roads the county maintains. Such roadwork would include improvement of drainage and road intersections.

Another $15 million could be used for flood control on many county streets and roads that currently wash out in the rainy season. Those could include the Carr Alluvial Fan area, Benson Airport Road area and Moson Road, Young added.

“There are some very serious situations out there,” he told the supervisors. “And every dollar we invest, we’ll get back.”

Highways are the county’s lifeline, providing economic vitality through the flow of goods and services as well as providing mobility for county residents, Young said.

A future work session is planned to discuss the options for upgrade and repair of county roads and possible ways the county could raise money to pay for it all.

During the regular meeting, the supervisors approved an amendment to the contract with Stantech Inc. for increased design and engineering costs for the Cochise County Airport Runway Lighting Upgrade

A $56,148 grant from the Federal Aviation Commission was awarded to the county for the work, said Patty Lewis, the grants administrator for Cochise County. The Arizona Department of Transportation-Aeronautics Division is chipping in $1,404 for the project, and the county is committed for the match of $1,404.

HERALD/REVIEW reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.

In other business, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday:

• Approved the payment of four Office Depot invoices totaling $487.49 for purchases by Juvenile Court Services that are more than six months old.

• Adopted a resolution that establishes the Wellspring Water Improvement District as requested and appointing Ed Curry, Stefanie Mason and Mark Spencer to the district board. The water district is in conjunction with the Morning Star Air Park.

• Approved the 21st annual Cochise County Cycling Classic Bike Ride, which will be held Oct. 11.

During a meeting Tuesday, the Cochise County Library District Board:

• Approved the establishment of a $200,000 line of credit for the library district with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. Supervisors Paul Newman and Pat Call voted in favor of the credit line. Searle voted against it, saying he saw no need for it since the library district has around a $500,000 carry-forward from last year.

• Approved the Online Computer Library Center user agreement with the library district for products and services. The move saves the county $4,000 in fees that were being charged by a third party to facilitate ongoing costs.

 

Other business:

During a meeting Tuesday, the Cochise County Flood Control District Board:

• Approved a $75,000 line of credit with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank to provide a safety net in cases of urgent need. Searle again voted against the measure seeing no need for the credit since it had never been used.