Commissioners approve spray contract, agree to help clear Nickel Plate trail and sell surplus culverts

Fulton County commissioners on April 6 approved several highway-related items: a vegetation-spray contract renewal, temporary assistance to a volunteer group clearing invasive honeysuckle on the Nickel Plate trail, the sale of two surplus culverts, and a work-from-home arrangement for highway staff.

John (S4), a highway department head, presented a Midwest Spray Team contract not to exceed $15,000 for structure vegetation control; the board voted 3-0 to approve the contract. Volunteers and local trail advocates described the labor intensity of removing honeysuckle by hand and asked whether county highway equipment could run a brush cutter to clear about 3.5 miles of trail. One volunteer said the county’s equipment could “probably clean up in a day when it would take us the entire summer” (Resident, S9).

Commissioners discussed the need to spray cut regrowth to prevent rapid re-sprouting and approved county assistance for select problem areas; volunteers agreed to identify the worst stretches and coordinate with highway staff. The board also approved selling two 8x25-foot culverts at scrap prices to a local buyer, noting the items were kept in county inventory pending disposal; the motion passed 3-0. Separately, the board approved a highway work-from-home request that included the temporary use of a county laptop.

County staff said spray work is routine maintenance and emphasized that cutting without herbicide treatment can cause faster regrowth. No additional county appropriation was requested at the meeting for these items; vendors and volunteers will coordinate follow-up logistics with the highway department.