Dirk Heckman was selected as the new engineer/manager at the Mackinac County Road Commission Tuesday, June 10. He will replace Karrie Abbitt, who held the position less than a year, and his start date is undetermined at this time. Mr. Heckman now works in a similar position at the Chippewa County Road Commission, and the Mackinac County board was unsure when his contract would release him. Commissioner Lester Livermore estimated it could be a month or more before he can start working for the Mackinac County Road Commission.

Mr. Heckman was one of four people who submitted applications, and one of only two qualified for the position by applying for the engineer/manager job. Of the remaining two candidates, one applied as an engineer only and one applied as a manager only. Mr. Heckman is a LaSalle High School graduate and now lives in St. Ignace Township. Commissioners are working on a contract and salary to offer Mr. Heckman.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has slashed its summer maintenance budget, blaming what it calls a severe winter and higher snow removal costs for less available money for summer maintenance. MDOT cut $11,800 from the maintenance budget and will not clean ditches this year. MDOT will mow only once along state routes this year, since the grass cutting and weed control fund was cut by more than half, from $7,565 to $3,565.

County Road Commission Chairman Frank Luepnitz read the list of changes aloud during the meeting, including a $2,100 reduction in tree and shrub removal funding and a $446 reduction (from $500) for preventive maintenance. There is no funding for several other areas like drainage and backslope work, bridge structure maintenance, bridge signs, traffic signal maintenance, and pavement marking.

Tree and shrub removal has been reduced to downed trees and stumps only, and only when they are determined to be a safety hazard. There will be no more routine litter pick-up along highways, and crews will clear brush only in emergencies. The reductions will only impact the county's state highways, M-134 and M-129, in Clark Township, Marquette Township, and St. Ignace Township.

Reflecting its own budget limitations this year, Mackinac County Road Commission announced it would stop mowing along county roads this spring. Moran Township will pay the road commission $6,000 to mow 40 miles of roadsides once this summer, and Marquette Township may consider a similar arrangement. Marquette Township Supervisor John Kronemeyer requested a quote from the commission for mowing along roads in Marquette Township at the June 10 meeting.

Commissioners changed the road commission's regular meeting time from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. until the new manager starts. The next meeting will be Tuesday, June 24, at 7 p.m.

Commissioners accepted the low bid for design and engineering services for work toward rebuilding the Mackinac Trail bridge over Carp River from Northwest Design Group of Petoskey. The firm bid $30,982, nearly $10,000 below the next lowest bid. The firm will perform surveys, get permits, make estimates, design the structure, and perform several other pre-construction preparations before the commission can seek bids for the bridge construction.

The commission will not authorize the engineering, however, unless St. Ignace Township signs an agreement that it will participate in the future construction project. The bridge replacement over Carp River is a federally funded Critical Bridge project that is expected to cost $859,900. Federal bridge funds will cover 95% of the $753,000 construction costs. The remaining 5% of construction cost, and 100% of the $106,800 engineering costs will be paid for by St. Ignace Township and Mackinac County Road Commission. The road commission will seek financial assistance from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and estimates there is more than $54,000 available from another road project.

MDOT wants to dismantle a radio tower it maintains in Hessel, which the road commission also uses. Of the five options presented, including buying the radio tower and property from MDOT; building another tower; buying an 800 megahertz radio system and radios for an estimated $24,108; moving its antenna and equipment to another tower for $27,000, or leasing space on a tower owned by the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, commissioners opted for the last choice, which will cost an estimated $1,200 to $2,400 a year.

The road commission will replace culverts on Black Point Road in Brevort Township for a cost of $12,000, with the road commission and Brevort Township splitting the cost of the project.

Commissioners read a letter from Dennis Wenzel of Point Brulee Road in Hessel, requesting cracks in the chip and seal surface be repaired before the surface is ruined. Mr. Wagner said repairs have already been performed there as part of Clark Township's pavement preservation project.

The United States Forest Service is considering putting a chip and seal application on its road to Carp River in St. Ignace Township, and the road commission will provide the requested quote.

Commissioners will spend $350 to repair damage to the East District Garage caused by flying rock when crews blasted through hardpan at the site of the new salt shed. Cryderman Construction of St. Ignace had the low bid and will perform the work.