Stevens County approves road contracts, awards gravel crushing and accepts $500 veteran-service donation

The Stevens County Board of Commissioners approved several highway contracts, accepted a $500 donation for the county Veterans Service Office and heard a first-quarter budget update at a regular meeting.

The board awarded a low bid for hauling and material work, approved an informal bid for seasonal striping, and authorized crushing 40,000 cubic yards of gravel at the Wolf pit after staff said competitive bids came in well under budget estimates. Commissioners also accepted a $500 donation to the Veterans Service Office and voted to accept a delegation of registration authority for two local government units. County staff briefed the board on equipment deliveries, needed vehicle fuel-tank modifications, and a proposed $40,000 update to the county's Highway Safety Improvement Plan that staff opted not to fund this year.

The approvals affect routine road maintenance and short-term gravel inventory decisions that county staff described as necessary to meet a landowner deadline and to build a multi-year stockpile. County highway staff said recent low bids and the ability to reallocate budgeted shouldering funds made the crushing purchase feasible.

County highway staff said competitive prices this spring allowed the board to award multiple contracts under the previously budgeted amounts. "We got some really good prices this year," county highway staff said. Staff recommended awarding the hauling/trucking work to the apparent low bidder at $268,481.94 and awarding the Wolf pit crushing contract at $2.48 per cubic yard to Brown Excavating of…