Public Works seeks more road‑material bidders, lists surplus units for auction and advances Primrose Road chip‑seal project

Public Works Director Sean Roey told the board Monday that county roads staff are soliciting additional bidders for road‑servicing materials, are preparing a set of vehicles and equipment for public auction and are advancing County Road Project No. 8819 for a triple chip seal on Primrose Road this summer.

Call for bids and surplus equipment Public Works opened a second call for bids for road‑servicing materials to expand the vendor pool, with an explicit goal of attracting suppliers from the south end of the county. Roey also reviewed 12 items proposed for public surplus auctions: four solid‑waste items (including a 1993 tracked dump bed that staff said is not economical to repair and a load‑king low‑boy with a sprung bed), several decommissioned sheriff vehicles (two patrol Interceptors and an older Expedition), motor‑pool vehicles and a range of fleet equipment (mower heads, arms, backhoe). Staff said heavy equipment tends to draw better response at large auction houses while lighter items go to a regional public auctioneer. Roey described seller fees of roughly 8–12% on auction sales and noted that higher‑value items usually have lower seller premiums.

Primrose Road County Road Project Roey presented County Road Project No. 8819, the Primrose Road improvement project. Primrose is one of eight remaining “primitive” county roads (not including alleys) and runs off Mount Pleasant as a gravel frontage; staff recommended a triple chip seal this summer to bring the road onto the regular maintenance rotation and to address development pressure that has increased from a handful of houses to roughly a dozen and a half.

State rules and procurement: Roey said state law requires the county to advertise and follow public‑project processes when upgrading primitive roads and that because county forces will perform the work, an advertisement is required for any estimate above the statutory threshold (staff cited $5,000 as the relevant threshold for advertising). The road work is intended as a long‑term maintenance investment to reduce the labor intensity of gravel‑road upkeep.

Discussion versus decisions: the board reviewed the items and asked procedural questions about auction fees, vendor outreach and the scope of the chip‑seal project. No contract awards were made Monday; staff will return with bids, auction scheduling and the formal county‑road resolution for final action where required.

What’s next: Public Works will advertise bids, finalize auction arrangements, and proceed with the Primrose Road project advertisement and scheduling this summer.