Supervisors received favorable cost estimates to remove the concrete planters on the north side of the Jasper County Courthouse, and on May 28 they officially instructed maintenance director Adam Sparks to start seeking quotes from contractors, which are due to the arrive in the coming weeks.
The decision comes three weeks after Sparks discussed the possibility of removing the planters — which county officials often call “bunkers” — using funds from his concrete budget in fiscal year 2025. Sparks was told to find estimates before obtaining quotes for the project.
“You asked me to come back and kind of figure out what we could and couldn’t get done with that amount money,” Sparks said of the $40,000 budget. “I’ve had a couple of conversations with the engineers from BBS that we worked with prior on this project and talked to a couple of vendors here in town.”
From what Sparks could find out, the average cost to tear out all four planters on the north side 8 inches below grade, haul away the concrete and obtain materials would be somewhere between $6,000 to $10,000. Replacing concrete on both the northwest and northeast corners will further increase that price tag.
So to widen the handicap ramps from 6 feet to 17 feet wide, reuse the existing 80 feet of the drain system, pour all new concrete under and around the drain system, pour 6 inches of concrete with rebar, finish 32 feet of curb work on each corner and repair any curbs in the area would cost $30,000 to $38,000.
“If we went the high on both of them, guys, the high would be $48,000. Low could be $36,000. So that’s about the average of where we should be on that project,” Sparks said during the county board of supervisors meeting. “Really no less but no more either.”
Jasper County did look at what it would cost to replace the drain system. Sparks found that alone would cost $40,000 per corner to install the new system.
“After we looked at the grating, mainly what we’re getting is exactly what we have,” Sparks said. “It comes just as rusty as the rusty stuff we have. Really, the metal grating is not the issue that’s out there. It’s what held up in the concrete. It’s just all the concrete around it and under it.”
Which is why Sparks determined it was best to keep the same system intact. Supervisor Brandon Talsma sought feedback from his fellow elected officials. Talsma said for that price if the county is replacing the concrete on the corners then he is in favor of getting rid of the planters.
“In other words, we’re going to put in $30,000 of concrete and the future board 10 years from now is going to be dealing with it and ripping half the concrete back out because now the bunkers have to go,” Talsma said.
Erin Yeager, executive director of Newton Main Street, attended the meeting to voice her plans for the future. The organization will still regularly install seasonal planters around the Main Street district, but Yeager also wants to install more benches in downtown. The benches are made by Co-Line Manufacturing.
“We could work with you guys to install those (seasonal planters),” she said. “They come in the spring and are removed during the fall. So they’re not out during the winter at all to maintain them. Those are all purchased through Main Street as part of our organization. We fundraise for them.”
Talsma gave Sparks the go-ahead to search for quotes.
Sparks noted the county is also going to take down and acquire the 19 flagpoles installed alongside the concrete planters.
“We’ll figure out what we want to do with them,” he said. “Once we get them down we’ll kind of see. Looks like all of them can come out without being damaged, but let’s just see how many we get down that are in good condition. If we have a pile of them maybe we can sell them off or something.”