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Morgan County Council approves $300,000 for highway fuel‑tank replacement
Summary
The council approved a $300,000 appropriation from the riverboat fund to replace aging underground fuel tanks at the county highway facility; county staff said a state grant will cover roughly half the removal/installation cost and the county can cut additional costs by using its own equipment.
The Morgan County Council voted 7-0 March 3 to approve a $300,000 appropriation from the riverboat fund to replace underground fuel storage tanks at the county highway facility.
Eddie, a highway department employee who presented the item, told the council the existing tanks are past their expected life and show failing test results. “If these tanks do start leaking … you’re gonna get hefty fines,” Eddie said, and recommended moving forward now to avoid larger remediation costs later.
County staff described a state grant that covers a 50 percent match for removal of the old tanks and installation of new double‑walled underground tanks if the county follows the grant’s specifications. Eddie said the vendor’s estimate leaves a final county cost of $277,220 after the anticipated 50 percent reimbursement. He also said the county could save an estimated $87,300 by using county excavators and dump trucks to move contaminated soil instead of hiring outside contractors.
The presentation included other technical and program details: the existing system is well past typical service life, staff plans to replace three in‑ground tanks with two larger tanks, and the facility would move from three 8,000‑gallon tanks to two 10,000‑gallon tanks to match current fuel needs. Eddie said the new pump/canopy system and an electronic fuel tracking system would be installed as part of the project.
Council members asked about continuity of fueling during construction and about liability if county equipment is used for hauling contaminated soil. Eddie said the county would keep the existing tanks online while building the new system adjacent to them and that a contractor would handle contaminated‑soil disposal to the approved site while county trucks would assist with hauling to save cost.
Vicki Kibb moved the appropriation from riverboat fund 1191; Melissa Green seconded. The motion carried 7-0.
The council directed staff to return final contract documents before work begins so members can review the exact contract language and confirmed the appropriation source would be the riverboat fund.
