OTTUMWA — The Wapello County Rural Fire Agency’s new truck is getting closer.

The county has addressed the purchase, which will bring a new fire truck to the county. The truck costs about a quarter-million dollars.

Wapello County is not directly involved. Agreements between townships fund the rural department. But Wapello County has backed the bonds the townships used to make the purchase. The supervisors do not anticipate the county becoming involved, but the support helps protect against natural disasters that could prevent a township from fully reaching its commitments.

Federal funding helps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture kicked in a $22,000 grant and a $206,000 loan for the truck. The supervisors plan to approve a letter confirming the financing during today’s meeting.

The county engineer’s office also holds a top spot at the meeting. Brian Moore said his office has several projects gearing up, including a new bridge over the Des Moines River at Chillicothe. The county is tapping $2 million from a state fund for part of the work.

“It’s for construction of a new bridge,” Moore said. “It’s based on a points system and our project was selected.”

This funding covers almost half the estimated $5 million price tag.

Moore is also starting a project to put rock back on some of the county’s gravel roads. This year’s winter weather has hammered the roads. Ice, snow, melting and freezing turned many into almost impassable quagmires. Cars and trucks carved out deep ruts that compounded the problem.

Getting rock back onto the roads is important to help prevent further damage.

Other items on the agenda include the Farm to Market project and documents tied to tax exempt bonds from Ottumwa Regional Health Center.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com

For your information

Who: Wapello County Board of Supervisors

What: The board’s weekly meeting