Cullman County won’t have to go to court to recoup the cost of damage to a bridge that rendered a county road impassable due to damage incurred by a truck too heavy for the bridge’s weight rating.

The Cullman County Commission accepted an offer from Werner Enterprises for the small bridge’s $188,742 replacement value, settling a claim against Werner that could otherwise have required a legal fight. The bridge is located on County Road 821.

Werner offered to pay the full amount after the commission authorized county attorney Chad Floyd at its June 12 meeting to initiate legal proceedings against the Nebraska-based trucking company. At its regular meeting Tuesday, the commission accepted the offer.

“The bridge was about 85 years old, and to build it back to today’s codes and standards, it was going to cost that amount,” said Floyd. “We were never asking for anything unreasonable. Filing a complaint and preparing to go to court helped resolve this quickly, and was the exact push that we needed.”

In other business at its regular meeting, the commission:

– Approved annual insolvencies, errors, and taxes in litigation for the Cullman County Revenue Office for 2017.

– Approved an amended Recreational Trails Program grant application to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) for the funding of a bath house and car wash at Stony Lonesome OHV Park.

– Renewed the annual service agreement contracts maintained by the Cullman Area Rural Transportation Service (CARTS) with local agencies that use the service to transport their constituents.

– Approved a location release agreement request from Magilla Entertainment, LLC, to shoot video footage at Smith Lake Park for use in upcoming locally-filmed episodes of Lakefront Bargain Hunt on HGTV.

– Approved the appointment of commission chairman Kenneth Walker as a nominee for the legislative committee of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama.

– Approved the most recent round of invoices relating to repairs to damage caused to county property during the March 19 hail storm. The current round of invoices totals less than $100,000, although county leaders anticipate that future invoices will be significantly more costly.

– Approved a $6,000 payment to Richard Electric for replacement of a two-ton air handling unit at the Cullman County Board of Education building.

– Agreed to enter into negotiations with the Alabama Department of Transportation for purchase of two surplus dump trucks.

– Extended the county’s service contract with American Termite and Pest Control for pest services.

– Awarded an annual lawn care bid to Pro Lawn Unlimited for $21,900 for lawn services at the courthouse and eight other pieces of county property.

– Approved the awarding of a split bid to North Alabama Chemical and Central Paper for $103,420 in expendable supplies for use at the Cullman County Detention Center.

The next regular commission meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 10 in the commission meeting room of the Cullman County Courthouse. An 8:30 a.m. work session in the commission conference room will precede the meeting.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 145.