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County roads staff report motor-grader purchase, bridge grant applications and staffing plans
Summary
County roads staff told commissioners the county signed a purchase agreement for a new motor grader, submitted federal bridge grant applications for two bridges, and discussed recruiting maintenance staff.
County roads staff reported several operational updates to Worth County commissioners, including a machine purchase, bridge grant applications and recruitment for maintenance positions.
A county staff member said the county signed a purchase agreement last week for a replacement motor grader with a 60-month powertrain and hydraulic warranty. The staff member said the county received an $18,000 trade-in allowance on an older machine and the net investment for the new grader, including the warranty, was $293,950; the machine has just under 1,100 hours of use recorded. Staff noted some conversion work will be needed to fit the county’s existing front-lift group to the new unit.
Bridge projects: staff reported the county submitted a grant application for a longer bridge on 390th over Shell Rock and said another bridge near Wheelerwood (just east of Dogwood) is scheduled for letting this month. The Wheelerwood-area structure was described as being let for construction soon; staff said one replacement will be a box culvert and may be completed before ground freezes depending on manufacturer scheduling.
Staffing and operations: a staff speaker said retirements are pending and the county is receiving applications; the county will interview candidates and expects to hire qualified staff who may need to commute to the county location. On the secondary roads maintenance facility project, staff discussed handling design and construction updates and suggested the county’s office furniture could be covered in the existing budgets or considered through urban renewal reallocation if needed.
Why it matters: the grader purchase and bridge projects affect county ability to maintain roads and respond to storm damage. Staffing decisions will affect maintenance capacity in the short term.
No formal votes were required for the equipment purchase or the staffing updates; the maintenance facility construction contracts were considered separately on the agenda and were approved as resolutions.
