Highway department moves forward with maintenance contract; chip seal and bridge inspection work planned

Todd Howe, highway superintendent, told commissioners on Jan. 9 the highway department logged heavy storm work, reporting about 776 man-hours during the storm period and roughly 200 tons of salt and sand deployed to keep county roads passable.

Howe asked the board to approve a preventive-maintenance contract (PM agreement) for courthouse and highway facility HVAC and air-handling systems. The county received multiple quotes for the PM work; two vendors discussed in the meeting were Cook (sometimes referenced as Cook Mechanical) and Piney (Piney submission). Howe recommended contracting with Piney despite being slightly higher in price, citing familiarity with local equipment and a more detailed schedule of replacements (for example, annual belt replacement was described in Piney’s proposal). Commissioners discussed specific service items, frequency of filter replacement and hourly rates; the Piney submission included a standard-service rate and an off-hours rate, and Piney’s total quote was reported in the meeting as $9,644 versus Cook’s quoted $9,450. Howe asked the board to act quickly to get service underway; commissioners voted to enter into the PM agreement as presented.

Howe also briefed the board on chip-seal plans tied to a CCMG grant for 2025: the highway department expects to address approximately 116.3 miles of roads under the chip-seal program.

Separately, Howe introduced consultant John Saint as the county’s bridge inspection contractor under a multi-year contract starting in 2025 and running through 2028. Howe said Saint has performed prior inspection work for the county and will handle bridge inspections for the next contract term.

Commissioners approved the PM agreement and acknowledged the bridge inspection contract; staff will provide executed copies and follow up on scheduling and warranty/maintenance details.