Brandon, a Public Works staff member, asked the Board of County Commissioners at the Aug. 4 meeting for permission to solicit bids for corrugated metal pipe inventory and specific pipe work on South Buckeye. “So I'd like to request to go out for bid for corrugated metal pipes,” Brandon said.

Brandon told commissioners that the county’s standard material is aluminized metal and that many of the pipes in the county are “aluminized…16,” which he said typically provides service-life measured in decades. He estimated a service life of roughly 30 years on average depending on local soil conditions. Brandon described material tradeoffs discussed by staff: poly pipes have been used occasionally but can be damaged by field burning and washouts, galvanized pipe corrodes faster in some soils, and heavy-duty steel or epoxy-coated options raise costs substantially.

For the South Buckeye location, engineers recommended a size between 36 and 48 inches; staff said they planned a 42-inch arch installation and to place headwalls and riprap at the ends. Brandon said the immediate request was to rebalance inventory and solicit bids for the county’s common pipe sizes so the county has necessary stock on hand when a site-specific project proceeds.

Commissioners and staff also discussed a longer-term “plan B” for a road tied to local industrial access near a bean/soy plant and the need to advance engineering, survey and right-of-way work before pursuing larger construction. Brandon said some project phases could be completed independently if state or other grant funding is delayed. He noted the county intends to apply this fall for the Safe Streets for All program and to coordinate that application with other build funding so the two can complement each other.

No formal roll-call vote was recorded at the meeting specifically authorizing a procurement contract; commissioners indicated staff should move ahead with bidding and planning steps. Staff advised that further design/survey work will be necessary to identify required right-of-way and to make any phased-construction request competitive for grants. Brandon also said the county would monitor the Safe Streets for All program as it enters its final funding year and would wait for the program’s final parameters before finalizing applications.

Next steps: Public Works will prepare bid documents for corrugated metal pipe, finalize required specifications, and return with procurement recommendations and any associated cost estimates to the commission for formal action.