Working for the public

WALLACE — Shoshone County stretches over 2,636 square miles of scenic mountains and valleys comprised of seven incorporated cities along Interstate 90.

Different departments tackle different aspects of the county, like the Public Works Department, which oversees four road districts and two county parks (Gene Day Park and West Shoshone Park), and is responsible for maintaining approximately 375 miles of roadway 79 bridges in the county.

The Shoshone News-Press spoke with the recently promoted Director of Public Works, Jessica Stutzke, to talk about the ins and outs of the department as well as some challenges and highlights.

“I love everything about this department,” Stutzke said. “If I had to choose a single favorite, it would be our employees. They are a great group of hardworking people, with each and every one of them adding something valuable to the team.”

The department currently has 25 full-time employees in the Road Department, with six temporary, seasonal employees hired in the winter. In addition, four temporary, seasonal employees are hired each year to staff the two parks.

“We are understaffed for our winter maintenance. To date, we are still looking to fill four positions for temporary winter maintenance. We are almost fully staffed for our full-time positions. We have one open position in our Murray road district.”

The department isn’t without its challenges; as Stutzke explained, “wintertime is sometimes difficult in our department. Staffing levels and equipment breakdowns can have a negative effect on the level of service we can provide to our community. We pull together and work many extra hours to keep our road safe and navigable.”

She went on to explain that, “one of the issues in public works departments everywhere, not just in Shoshone County, is that there is constant road and bridge maintenance to be done on a set, limited budget. There is always more that needs to be done than there are funds to cover the costs, especially when unforeseen issues come up. Our department has always done a great job prioritizing and carefully planning, but throughout the year, we are constantly adjusting to address needs as they arise.”

The annual budget for the Roads Department for this year is approximately $3.9 million.

“I know that sounds like a lot of money, but when you break it down, it doesn’t go quite as far as you would think. Half of that budget is eaten up by full time and seasonal employee costs and benefits,” Stutzke explained. “The remaining portion is broken down into line items that consist of all of our overhead costs, fuel, equipment costs, training, safety, and road and bridge maintenance. We have a large fleet of equipment in our four road districts, and much of our equipment shows its age. We don’t have much to work with for capital improvement projects, so our department relies heavily on outside sources for funding, such as grants.”

Many of the grants or funding programs that are applied for are administered by the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC).

“They (LHTAC) have streamlined the application process, so much of the application process can be handled in-house by our PW administrative staff with limited need to seek outside assistance. In the past, we have sought assistance from engineering consulting firms to secure funding.”

Last year, Shoshone County hired Colleen Rosson for the position of Grants Administrator to establish standards and deadlines for proposals, review proposals for completeness and ensure compliance.

“Rosson has been invaluable to many county departments, helping to secure and manage funding. Our department will work closely with her for funding opportunities outside of the ones that LHTAC administers.”

Stuzke is excited to announce that there are many projects underway, “Thanks to the Leading Idaho Local Bridge Funding and the Federal-aid Bridge Program, we have secured funding assistance for nine bridge replacements and three bridge rehabilitations. Our crews will be performing the installation work on four of the replacements, which will be prefab steel structures. The work on some of these bridges will start this year.”

Crews will be chip sealing Silver Valley Road between Wallace and Osburn, as well as up Pine Creek, “The Pine Creek chip sealing is made possible by funding awarded through the Local Rural Highway Investment program (LRHIP). This year, our Silver Valley Road Safety Improvement project will go into construction, which will address and rectify safety issues at five intersection locations along Silver Valley Road. This project is funded through the Local Highway Safety Improvement Program (LHSIP).”

Stutzke explained that the department received a Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) Grant, which will provide safety improvements along the Coeur d’Alene River Road and Prichard Creek Road to Murray. The project is 100% funded and 70% designed, with construction to begin late this year or early next year.

“We were also recently notified of an additional FLAP grant through Western Federal Lands for rehab of the tunnels and trestles on Moon Pass. The project cost is estimated at just under $8.5 million to be funded at 100%. Since we are so early in the process, no date has been set for construction.”

The Shoshone County Public Works department works year-round to maintain a safe reliable road system, and Stutske welcomes any customers with questions to please reach out.

“We work very hard year-round to provide the best service to our community with the resources available to us. It’s important to all of us to do the best job we can. I encourage anyone with any questions or concerns to please call our office so we can address them.”

You can reach the Public Works Department at 208-753-5475.