The Limestone County Commission set the wheels in motion Tuesday to repair a portion of Shaw Road closed since a washout on Christmas Day.

The commission voted to enter into an agreement with Morrell Engineering for preliminary engineering, surveying and plan development at a cost of $22,631. The commission then voted to transfer $250,000 from the county’s building fund to cover the cost of repairing the road.

Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough said the costs would be fully reimbursable from federal aid distributed by the Alabama Department of Transportation.

District 3 Commissioner Jason Black said he had been in talks with officials from the Tennessee Valley Authority about providing a temporary fix for Shaw Road. The problem with that, he said, is a temporary fix would be considered a permanent repair and would void the full reimbursement from ALDOT. Without the 100 percent reimbursement, he said, the county would pay $75,000 to $80,000 as part of a 20 percent funding match, with the state paying 80 percent.

Compounding the issue is a planned reactor outage at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant later this month, which would require more support personnel going in and out of the facility. Shaw Road is a major artery in and out of the nuclear plant.

Black said TVA officials have agreed to help fund a detour, however, from Douglas Road to Paradise Shores Bridge.

“We’re not dragging out feet,” he said. “We’re diligently trying to spend our money and do things they way we’re supposed to.”

New roof for museum

The commission also unanimously approved a new metal roof for the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives on Pryor Street. The county-owned building has been beset by leaks, leaving some artifacts endangered.

The commission approved an estimate from Eddie Michael to install the roof at a cost of $19,720.

Home for kayaks sought

Chris Becker, Limestone County coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension, asked the commission to consider donating space to help store 17 trailer-mounted kayaks recently received as part of the 4-H RiverKids program.

The program’s goal is to take youngsters out on the state’s waterways and teach them about river conservation and water safety.

Becker said he could temporarily store the kayaks outside, if necessary, but would prefer to have a permanent indoor location to keep them out of the elements.

Other business

In other business, the commission:

• Approved an agreement with IMS Enterprises for printing of tag notices and envelopes at a cost of $22,327.50 and with Currie Systems for the printing of envelopes at a cost of $317.80 for the Limestone County License Commissioner’s Office; and

• Promoted Moses McGuire to herbicide operator in the engineering department.

The commission will meet again for a work session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at the Washington Street annex.