Duncan is named new supervisor

Wednesday, October 24, 2001

BENTON - Harlan Duncan of rural Benton is the new

superintendent for the county road and bridge

department. Duncan was hired during Tuesday's meeting

of the Scott County Commission.

Duncan was selected from three applicants to replace

Terry Herndon who will retire from the position at the

end of this year. Herndon has served as the

department's supervisor since he was hired in November

1993.

Previously employed by the Scott County Road and

Bridge Department from 1991-1999, Duncan was second in

command before leaving to take another job, according

to Martin Priggel, presiding commissioner. "He knows

the county and the people and should work in very well

there," Priggel said.

"I'm looking forward to it, looking forward to working

with the commissioners," said Duncan. "I was born and

raised in Scott County, lived here all my life. I'm

looking forward to doing the job that needs to be

done."

Duncan will begin Dec. 1, providing an overlap between

the incoming and outgoing supervisors, according to

commissioners.

Scott County is responsible for maintaining 98 bridges

and has a total of about 375 miles of roads to

maintain, 135 miles of which are blacktopped. Other

roads within the county are maintained by the Sikeston

Special Road District and Illmo Special Road District.

In addition to maintaining county roads and bridges,

the county road and bridge department also maintains

drainage ditches within the county that have not yet

been included in ditch districts; controls Johnson

Grass and other noxious weeds by spraying herbicides;

and mows alongside county highways and ditches.

The county road and bridge department has an annual

budget of about $950,000 of which about $300,000 comes

from the road and bridge tax on personal property. The

other $650,000 in revenue comes from the state through

the CART program which distributes gas tax money,

registration fees, vehicle sales tax, and motor

vehicle fees, according to county officials.

Priggel said roughly one-third of the road and bridge

department expenditures are for road and bridge

repairs, one-third goes toward blacktop maintenance,

and one-third takes care of personnel costs. The road

and bridge department currently employees 11 workers

in addition to the supervisor.

The county road and bridge department's heavy

equipment fleet includes four road graders, a large

and small excavator and two mowing tractors.

In August, commissioners received a letter from Mike

Helpingstine, non-state bridge engineer for the

Missouri Department of Transportation's southeast

district, regarding his inspection of Scott County

bridges that complimented the county on the condition

of its roads.

Helpingstine wrote that Scott County's roads were

among the best in the fourteen-county area in which he

inspects bridges.

Herndon's use of railroad cars to replace obsolete

county bridges where possible has also been applauded

by Helpingstine. "Terry's done a real good job for the

county," said Helpingstine.

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