By Ed PruneauRecord Staff WriterThe long saga over improving the Augusta Bottom Road in Warren County is virtually over.Monday night, Washington City Council members approved an ordinance authorizing the city to pay $15,000 toward an estimated $80,000 cost to install safety improvements along the section known as the Augusta Parkway.Washington and three other government entities — Warren and St. Charles counties and the town of Augusta — are part of the settlement agreement to install guardrails along the parkway which is flanked by large water holes and was the site where Ella Neier, 16, Washington, died in a traffic accident in 2010.The settlement is in response to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Neier’s parents.Warren and St. Charles counties previously approved the settlement agreement. The Augusta town board also approved it Monday night, according to City Counselor Mark Piontek who also represents Augusta.“It’s time to put this behind us and get it done,” Councilman Joe Holtmeier said Monday night.AgreementPiontek said representatives of the various parties worked on the agreement for over a year.“I think we should put this to rest,” said Councilman Steve Sullentrup.Piontek said Washington and Augusta have approved separate settlements with the Neier family to resolve the lawsuit, but he was not sure about the other parties.The agreement is contingent upon the dismissal of the lawsuit filed by Neier’s parents. If the suit is not dismissed by Aug. 31, the settlement agreement will be voided.Under the agreement, St. Charles County will lend $25,000 to Augusta for the improvements. Augusta also will allocate $20,000 along with $20,000 from Warren County and $15,000 from Washington to make the improvements.Piontek said the reason it’s called a settlement agreement is because that’s the only way St. Charles County could expend funds on the improvements which are outside the county.In addition to making improvements, Warren County also agrees to take over maintenance of the former parkway which was rebuilt after floods in the mid 1990s.In the event a flood would destroy the levee road over the next 10 years, no repairs would be made unless funding were made available through FEMA, the agreement states.Other parties listed in the agreement are St. Charles County, Augusta, Washington, Kessler Farms, Inc., Beatrice R. Kessler Trust, Kathryn Kessler, Diane Kessler, Thomas Kessler, David Neier and Dawn Tucker.Augusta Bottom Road has been a hot topic for decades and the interest was renewed following the 2010 fatal crash. It is located in southeastern Warren County and is primarily used by motorists traveling to and from St. Charles County and Washington.The portion of the road in Warren County is gravel, while the St. Charles County section is paved with asphalt.Augusta Bottom Road remains open and is used on a daily basis by motorists, though signs are posted stating that a portion of it is closed.The guardrail improvements had been recommended as part of a road safety audit conducted by HR Green, Inc., in 2011.That study was funded jointly by Washington and MoDOT.Washington was named in the wrongful death suit because it had assisted Augusta in the past with grading the road in the parkway area.As part of the agreement, Warren County will be required to repair Augusta Parkway and maintain it to where it is similar to the rest of the roadway that lies in the county, and be allowed to install reflective warning signs where utility poles and a tree are located in lieu of moving or removing the objects.Warren County must assume ownership of the Augusta Parkway by Oct. 30 and complete repairs and safety improvements this fall if feasible, but no later than July 1, 2016, the agreement states.Augusta Bottom Rock