County engineer Josh Thompson updated commissioners on road and maintenance work and outlined a handful of operational steps the department will take in coming weeks.
Thompson said crews are finishing chip seal on several roads and will trial a PMRE oil on Old 97 to improve adhesion to local pit rock and to shorten curing time. "So our goal is try to stick with something that works with the rock that we have," Thompson said, noting the county typically uses a half-inch rock with some fines rather than the state's 3/8-inch clean chip.
Why it matters: the tested oil promises faster cure and better crack penetration on worn pavement; if successful, it could reduce traffic-impact days and improve durability on higher-traffic routes.
Crews planned to finish paving a reconstructed section of Old 97 by the end of the week and then await striping manufacturer cure times; commissioners asked staff to seek a striping product with a shorter cure time than one quoted at 21 days. Thompson also said crews will install a vault toilet at the Whistler Canyon Trailhead later in the week and that staff are coordinating operation and cleaning frequency.
On equipment and surplus, commissioners and staff discussed the difficulties of prior online surplus auctions (buyers failing to collect items, vehicles stored behind locked gates, time spent supervising removals) and weighed hiring an auctioneer to run a live sale versus an online auction. Thompson asked departments to compile VINs and condition notes for vehicles and trailers they want to surplus; staff will also check grant-funding restrictions for some items before listing them.
What’s next: public works will monitor the PMRE oil test, pursue a shorter-cure striping paint, proceed with the Whistler Canyon vault toilet installation and circulate a list of surplus vehicles and trailers for a planned auction.