COUNTY TO HIRE HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT; FOR FIRST TIME, SOKMEONE WITH ENGINEERING CERTIFICATION IS SOUGHT

JACKSON - The Cape Girardeau County Commission soon will begin interviewing applicants for the post of county highway engineer and superintendent.

For the first time, the county is seeking someone who has a civil engineering degree and professional engineering certification.

Kenny Seibert, county highway superintendent, has resigned the post but will continue to work with the Cape County Highway Department.

"The closing date is the end of the month, and after that we will begin interviewing candidates, looking at resumes and going from there," said Associate Commissioner Larry Bock, who oversees roads and bridges for the commission.

Bock said about 15 people have applied so far and they were from both inside and outside the area.

Advertisements for the job were run in area newspapers, in the Missouri Association of Counties newsletter, and in two trade publications for engineers.

By having someone with an engineering degree, Bock said it is possible some bridge design work the county now hires engineers to do can be done by the county. "There is nobody on the staff who can do that right now," said Bock.

County highway crews frequently build smaller bridges; on larger projects contractors are hired.

Besides being an engineer with the ability to design roads and bridges, Bock said the county is looking for someone who is experienced in management to oversee operations of the department.

Bock said the commission hopes to hire someone this summer. He was unsure how many applicants the commission would interview before making a decision.

Bock said he is pleased with the progress being made by an advisory committee he appointed this year to assist with long-range planning for county roads and bridges. Not only is the committee looking at priorities, but options available for financing, he said.

The committee has conducted traffic counts and has physically reviewed all county roads and bridges to get an idea of what needs repaired or replaced. "I think the committee has a pretty good idea of the shape all our bridges are in," said Bock.

He said some of the county's roads are still "horse-and-buggy" roads narrower than the appropriate 24-foot width roads need.

The committee will have some recommendations around late summer that will help the commission establish a long-range plan and set priorities for the 1994 county budget.