Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Infrastructure Gravel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Drain commissioner seeks county approval to buy, store crushed limestone from solar project
Summary
Montcalm County’s drain commissioner asked and received board authorization to spend up to $50,000 to acquire crushed limestone aggregate made available from a nearby solar project; the material would be stockpiled for county maintenance and local projects, with initial parking-lot work required to store it.
The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners authorized the drain commissioner to spend up to $50,000 to acquire and temporarily store crushed limestone aggregate that became available after a nearby solar project completed laydown-area work.
The drain commissioner told the board that township road commissions and other county entities have interest in the material, which the solar contractor is making available free of product cost; the county would pay trucking and handling. "The road commission was trying to take opportunity to get about 10,000 plus tons," he said, and described the product as clean crushed limestone suitable for shoulders, driveway repair and other maintenance work.
Because the county lacks a prepared storage pad behind the Pandemic Readiness Building, the drain commissioner said he plans to remove topsoil and extend the back parking area to hold material until it is needed. He estimated roughly 2,500 tons would cover a planned parking-lot extension and provide material for a library parking project; that scale would cost in the neighborhood of $25,000 in trucking and handling at an $8/ton trucking estimate presented in discussion. The drain commissioner and staff proposed a $50,000, not-to-exceed authorization to ensure flexibility for short-notice hauling opportunities.
Commissioners discussed funding sources and legal constraints for using county staff and equipment on projects for outside entities. The controller and others noted there are capital-improvement and public-improvement funds and that projects can be reimbursed when a benefiting party is identified. The drain commissioner said he would coordinate with the road commission and other beneficiaries and that some projects (for example, the White Pine Library parking addition) would return funds to the county once the work is completed.
Commissioner Alexander moved and the board supported a motion authorizing the drain commissioner to spend up to $50,000 to acquire and store aggregate for necessary county and partner projects. The motion passed by voice vote.
Commissioners asked staff to track costs, identify specific beneficiary projects and return with documentation of use and reimbursements. The drain commissioner said he would prioritize making a compacted storage pad and using the material where it most reduces future cost.
