Commissioners discuss bridges and lake crossing, increased sales tax revenue at this week’s meeting

At their weekly meeting Monday morning, the Ozark County Commissioners discussed the reopening of Haskins Ford, the county’s sales tax progress for the year and damage from last Friday’s storms as well as other rock and gravel projects.

Passable Haskins Ford

“The ford – I don’t know if it’s officially open, but you can cross it, right?” Presiding Commissioner John Turner asked Western District Commissioner Layne Nance, referring to Haskins Ford, the bottom area where County Road 863 crosses the upper reaches of Bull Shoals Lake. 

“Yeah, I had reports that, as of yesterday, some people are crossing it,” Nance answered. “Now, that’s yesterday in pickups, and there was about a foot of water on [the bridge] then. It’s still water, lake water, not rushing water.”

Nance said he and the western district road-and-bridge crew planned to remove the barricades that were put up last week to help deter people from driving across the closed bridge. 

“People just need to use caution and common sense, and they need to know if we get a 2-inch rain, it’s going to come up again,” Nance said, adding that he expected  the water would be low enough to cross in cars and other vehicles by mid-week.

Asphalt and gravel work left over from 2017

“Are you going to try to get some asphalt down there?” Turner asked, referring to an asphalt project that had government funding following the historic 2017 flood, which damaged roads in much of the county.

“Yeah, before too long,” Nance answered. “But it’s going to be a little bit yet because we’ve got to fix that FEMA haul,” Nance said, talking about funding for gravel that was also approved in connection with the 2017 flood. “I only have until the end of the month for that to get finished up.”

“You only got until June on that other one, right?” Turner asked, talking about the Haskins Ford asphalt.

“Yeah, it’s went on up for approval for an extension in the fall, but I haven’t received that yet. It’s from the 2017 flood, and every year that we’ve tried to finish it, the lake backed up over it,” Nance explained. “There’s a deadline of June 2 to finish it, but I’ve sent all the paperwork in for an extension, and [the official] thought we might get an extension. I told him if all went well we’d have it done by June anyway.”

Nance said he expected the western district road-and-bridge crew would finish up the gravel work soon.

“They’re hopefully going to knock out this FEMA rock hauling in the next two weeks, and then we’ll be free,” he said. “It’s for several different roads, and we’re finishing up in the Thornfield area right now.”

“Four years later and still hauling rock… but we’re gaining on it,” Turner added. 

Pond Fork Bridge

“So, did they final out the bridge over there pretty well?” Turner asked Nance, referring to the Pond Fork Creek Bridge on County Road 912 in the Thornfield area. The half-million-dollar project was completed in January by the Ozark-based RJ Warren Construction Co. The new structure replaced an old bridge that was made of wood with concrete poured on top and had a 5-ton weight limit, which restricted the loads of such things as hay, concrete or logs that area haulers might need to move along the county road. 

“I sent off the paperwork for that last week,” Nance said. “I had to wait for the grass to grow out there, and I thought they were going to contact me. But I had to physically contact them to tell them the grass was growing. I did that. So now they’re closing it out.”

“It’s a nice bridge,” Turner said. “I’ve crossed it.”

“Oh, it’s a dandy,” Nance agreed. 

“I wished we had a bridge like that down at Haskins Ford across the road, but we don’t,” Nance said.

“I wish I had one like that at Warren,” Eastern District Commissioner Gary Collins added, alluding to the County Road 328 bridge over Bryant Creek.  

Some residents have questioned why a bridge hasn’t been built across the Haskins Ford crossing, which is frequently closed due to high water. The commissioners cited several reasons for why they aren’t able to do it.

“The problem is, we don’t own that land. The Corps does,” Turner said. “And it’d have to be a mile long probably to span across there.”

“Somebody dropped the ball when they raised the power pool [of Bull Shoals Lake],” Nance said. “It’s not the county’s fault, and now that the power pool’s been raised, they drop [the lake] down to right at the bridge. Then, like I say, a 2-inch rain comes, and it’s back up over it.”

“You raise a mile-long road up 5 or 6 feet to make compensation for the raise the Corps did to the lake,” Turner said. “That’s what, a $2 million project or more… don’t you think?”

“Oh, gosh, I’d hate to even put a number on it,” Nance said. “I don’t know.”

“Well, it’s likely going to remain the way it is,” Turner said. “They have other priorities.”

“But all in all, unless something’s happened that I don’t know about, nobody’s drove off in it [recently], and it’s been safe so far. Hopefully this will put it back down where it’s crossable, but when the big rains are over, you need to reevaluate,” Nance said.

A windy start to the weekend

Collins said his side of the county had some downed trees in Friday night’s storm.

“I thought it was really going to get with it there for a minute,” Collins said. “My metal chairs were just a-blowing everywhere. Blew the top off my martin house. I have to take it down and snap it back together. They were out there saying, ‘Hey, it’s raining on us.’”

Collins said the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department called to tell him that two downed trees had been reported on County Road 517 in the Hardenville area. 

“I had to call the guys out,” Collins said of the eastern district road-and-bridge crew. “They were some pretty big winds. But they got down there and cut down [the trees] for them.”

Sales tax revenue is up so far this year

The commissioners also reviewed a report on sales tax revenue prepared by Ozark County Treasurer Christy Thompson. 

The report shows that, as of March, the county had brought in $233,629 in sales tax revenue, a 21 percent increase compared with the same time last year. 

January and February also saw an upward trend. In January 2021, sales tax revenue was up 28 percent over January 2020. In February 2021, it was up 21 percent over the previous year.