Mineral County staff recommend replacing three aging graders with one new Caterpillar 150; purchase would follow required approvals

Mineral County Road and Bridge staff recommended to commissioners that the county retire three aging motor graders and acquire a single new Caterpillar 150 to consolidate capacity and reduce maintenance costs. Staff said the county has 15 graders in its fleet, 13 of which are assigned to Road and Bridge, and that the three units targeted for replacement carry very high hours — each over about 10,000 hours — and are no longer cost‑effective to keep in service.

"We're not just getting rid of three, we're going to upgrade. So, we're getting rid of three to get one," said a Road and Bridge presenter, who outlined the fleet review conducted with foremen over the past four months and presented three vendor quotes. Staff said they obtained quotes listed in the record from Caterpillar, John Deere and a third vendor transcribed as "Kamasu," and recommended the Caterpillar 150 based on financing terms and delivery timing.

Commissioners and staff discussed procurement timing and documentation. Staff said there is no contract yet and that approval by the board is required before procurement; they also said the vendor quote in the record has a 30‑day expiration. Staff told the board that if the commissioners approve the purchase, procurement paperwork would be completed and the three older machines would be offered on public surplus.

Road operations updates: staff summarized recent traffic counts used to prioritize maintenance, noting samples showing about 250 vehicles per weekday on one road and roughly 75 per day on weekends. Staff also described new spray‑bar retrofits and testing planned this week intended to improve application control and extend the reach of budgeted surface‑treatment dollars.

Right‑of‑way enforcement: the Road and Bridge presenter said political and commercial signs placed in county rights‑of‑way will be removed and stored at the Cortez shop, reminding the public that the county right‑of‑way extends about 30 feet from the road center line. Staff cited a statute number read into the record (given as "4321 139") regarding roadside advertising enforcement.

What happens next: staff told commissioners that, if the board approves the recommendation at a subsequent meeting, procurement would proceed and the older graders would be declared surplus for public sale. No formal vote occurred during this meeting; commissioners asked questions and were told staff would present contract documents if the board moves forward.