While the county is still facing higher than expected costs for the Highway 169 project, they are more comfortable with the current figures.

The Faribault County Board of Commissioners were more prepared to work with the new figures brought to them at the April 16 meeting.

That, however, was not the case at their previous board meeting when they were informed their share of the costs could be as high as $795,000.

County Engineer John McDonald came to the meeting this time with a little bit better news.

“We want to amend the agreement on the 169 project,” he says. “The new costs are much more in line with what we had budgeted.”

He informed the board that the figures would be brought down to $464,327 for concrete and $426,773 for bituminous.

“We need to thank Brett Benzkofer (project manager) for going up to bat for the county and reworking those costs,” McDonald adds. The discussions and work between McDonald and Benzkofer assisted in lowering the figures to an amount much closer to the $350,000 the county had orignally budgeted.

“I am still not a fan of having three roundabouts,”?Commissioner John Roper says. “But I am in full favor of the price now.”

Commissioner Tom Warmka says that while some may not be a fan of the roundabouts, it’s something that will have to happen, regardless.

“There’s no plan B if we don’t do the roundabout; we don’t get the road repaired,”?he adds.

The board voted in favor of entering the amended agreement with the costs being adjusted to around the $426,000 range.

According to McDonald, the City of Blue Earth still has a few specifics being worked out before they accept their portion of the project.