Vendor describes Base 1 road stabilizer; commissioners said Road P will be tested with the product

Dennis Odum, a representative of Team Laboratory Chemical, presented information to the Seward County Board of Commissioners on April 7 about a patented road-stabilizer product his company sells called Base 1. Odum said his company used the product in Seward County in February 2009 on Box Road and that the product requires fines such as clay or silt to work effectively; he said sand by itself will not set up.

Odum provided cost and application examples. He said one tote of Base 1 (4ft by 4ft by 4ft) applied at a 4-inch depth on a 24-foot-wide, 1-mile road would cost about $7,700 and that a single tote would cover that cross section at the quoted depth. He told commissioners he typically sees “a good 10 years out of it without doing anything else” and said deeper reclamation (4 to 6 inches) could extend the life to “15 or 20” years. Odum offered a promotional price: buy five totes and receive a sixth tote free, with the vendor paying freight if purchased during the promotion.

The board was told that, at a prior meeting, commissioners had instructed Mark Johnson, the county road and bridge director, to utilize Base 1 on Road P this time so the county would have a comparison of two products on two roads. The vendor said Base 1 provides flexibility because it can be stored in a stockpile and used at the county’s convenience rather than requiring immediate scheduling when a contractor arrives.

No formal procurement or contract award occurred at the April 7 meeting; the presentation was informational and included product test data and recommendations for combining Base 1 with millings and local clay fines to improve performance.

A county staff member or a commissioner asked whether the vendor’s promotional and pricing terms would apply, and Odum confirmed his current running promotion; commissioners and staff discussed scheduling for comparing products and local availability of appropriate fines for stabilization.