It is nice to hear from you! I understand that it is difficult for you to update the mod for the reasons you wrote. Would you like to share responsibility for this mod? I will be happy to perform all the maintenance directly while you are away. You can add me as a "collaborator" in the "Permissions" tab in the mod portal.
The new graphics are very nice and I would like to put them to use. In fact, I am nearly finished rewriting the entire script so that it works much better with 0.17 (things like storing blueprint items in cars, mining wagons with construction robots, and installing and uninstalling other mods). If I finish it, I was thinking of releasing it as a new mod, but updating this one would be better for the community.