Mike Kelly of Engineering Services and Testing, now EST Inc., which is the engineering firm for the county, presented the plans for the new bridge. Kelly said the project will cost over $900,000, and is funded through the Oklahoma County Improvements for Road and Bridges (CIRB) program. The bridge is in District 1 Commissioner Bruce Tabor’s district.
Kelly said the same CIRB funds will be used to replace the bridge on Delaware Avenue, by the golf course just outside Sallisaw city limits. The bridge is in District 3 Commission Mike Huff’s district.
The commissioners also approved engineering fees, also for EST Inc., for two bridges in District 3 — one near Akins off State Highway 101 and the other north of Sallisaw and east of U.S. Highway 59. Huff said the county road bridge off State Highway 101 was over Prairie Creek. The bridge east of U.S. Highway 59 is a one-lane bridge, built in 1927, Huff said. The engineering fee for the two bridge improvements was $16,260.
The commissioners also approved a service agreement for pharmacy benefits through the National Association of Counties (NACo). District 2 Commissioner Steve Carter suggested the NACo pharmacy card, and explained that other counties using the service have saved money.
“It’s about a 22 percent reduction in the cost of pharmaceuticals,” Carter said, “and it’s a big benefit for other counties using it.”
The commissioners approved disposing of a surplus copier for District 3 and a surplus file cabinet for the Sequoyah County Health Department in Sallisaw.
