County discusses gravel stockpiles, crushing options and new road-stabilization trial

County secondary roads staff briefed the board on stockpiles, crushing options and a potential trial of a road-stabilization chemical.

Staff said Sunnyside currently holds roughly 30,000–35,000 tons of material and Lewis about 15,000–20,000 tons; they expressed a preference to avoid moving material more than necessary and suggested seeking options to blend lower-spec granular material economically rather than discarding it. "So I'd like to see 10,000 tons there," staff said about a new yard to hold material.

The board discussed procurement options for crushing: counties can lease a pit and arrange crushing, or the landowner can contract with a crushing company and sell a pile to the county. Staff said the county will evaluate both approaches and possible third‑party arrangements to maximize usable material and manage costs.

Separately, staff described a trial 'glue' or chemical stabilization treatment for certain road segments (North Rice Lake Road was mentioned) that requires logistical planning; the treatment sets up quickly and may allow work to occur under traffic with limited disruption.

Members reported local concerns such as possible tile/blocking issues affecting a stretch of 150th North of Vinje; staff agreed to inspect the site. Commissioners and staff also noted that recent stop-sign installations (Scargill) and rumble-strip monitoring have shown increased compliance at some intersections, though camera-based enforcement is limited.

No formal decisions were taken during the operations updates; staff will continue to estimate tonnage, evaluate crushing contracts, and plan the stabilization trial.