By the time autumn rolls around, Clarkson Covered Bridge Park will look particularly picturesque with a new metal water wheel up and running at the old grist mill.

The Cullman County Commission approved Tuesday purchasing a new water wheel for $16,000 from a North Carolina company. And with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, the project — two years in the making — will actually net money for the county, officials said.

County parks and recreation workers repaired the old wooden water wheel only to see a historic, 100-year-old flood render it inoperable again in December 2015, said Doug Davenport, parks director.

“The flood basically destroyed everything we fixed,” he said. “I’ve been working on getting the water wheel replaced for two years now. That’s the biggest question we get — ‘What happened to the water wheel?”

Davenport said FEMA recommended the county replace the wooden wheel with a metal one, and it will take 30-45 days to manufacture before it’s delivered to the park and installed.

On Tuesday, the commission also took action to repair the Smith Lake Park fishing dock which was also battered by the Christmas floods. The county awarded the $17,757.43 bid to BMS Marine in Jasper that built the dock.

FEMA will reimburse the county for the project, with a required 12.5 percent local match.

In an unrelated matter, the commission agreed to apply for an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant to fund the purchase of 61 acres adjacent to Stony Lonesome OHV Park. If awarded the grant, the county will have to obtain a certified appraisal for the property.

In other business Tuesday, the Cullman County Commission:

● Approved July 26 meeting minutes, appropriations, expenditures, payroll, requisitions and all journal entries to be posted.

● Held public hearing concerning property owner Edith Thompson’s request to vacate a 134-foot portion of County Road 97 in Bremen. No one in attendance spoke out in opposition of the vacation, and County Attorney Chad Floyd and County Engineer John Lang both recommended the county vacate the road. Lang said Thompson is the only land owner directly affected by the change, and Floyd said other residents that live alongside the road can take an alternate route.

● Approved vacating a portion of CR-97.

● Approved revised Cullman County Continuity of Government (COG) Plan. In the event of an emergency, the plan details orders of succession and delegations of authority among other directives. The last revision was Oct. 8, 2013, said EMA Director Phyllis Little.

● Approved revised Cullman County Continuity of Operations (COO) Plan. Similar to the above plan, this will outline the county’s capabilities to carry out essential services.

● Authorized Chairman Kenneth Walker and Little to sign $42,572 fiscal 2016 emergency management performance grant.

● Authorized Little to sign $25,000 Department of Public Health State Mortuary Operations Response Team (SMORT) grant for training and equipment. Little said the grant requires no local match.

● Authorized Walker and Little to sign $12,000 fiscal 2016 supplement Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG).

● Appoint John Riley to the North-central Alabama Regional Council of Governments (NARCOG) Loan Review Committee, replacing Eddie Bedard for a term expiring Sept. 30, 2018.

● Appointed Rusty Turner to the Cullman County Library Board of Trustees, replacing Jane Abt for a four-year term expiring Sept. 30, 2020. The appointment was made by Walker.

● Appointed Wendy Crider to the Cullman County Industrial Development Authority to fill the unexpired term of Grant Crider whose term will end Jan. 19, 2019. The appointment was made by Marchman, who said Crider will be the second female on the board.

● Set 20 mph speed limit on CR-434, a gravel road.

● Declared surplus the following CARTS vehicles which will be sold on online auction site www.govdeals.com: two 2008 Ford Goshen Coaches, 2006 Chevrolet CC5V042, 2008 Chevrolet CC5V042, 2006 Ford Goshen Coach, 2006 CCC HD and 2006 CCB HB.

● Purchased the following equipment from the NPJA Cooperative bid list through Cowin Equipment Company: Case SV300 rubber-tire skid steer for $51,279; Bradco HP750 cold planer with OEM controls, $17,366; DD258 Volvo double-drum roller for $37,655 and L/B Performance PF1510 track paver for $224,550. Walker noted the new paver will allow the county pave more roads.

● Awarded bid for computer equipment.

● Extended bid for vehicle service for sheriff’s office and other county vehicles to Santex (Havoline). Walker said after this extension, the county garage will begin taking over all vehicle maintenance.

The Cullman County Commission will hold a work session 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, followed by it meeting at 10 a.m.

Tiffeny Owens can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 135.