Commissioners approve construction contract for new Daniels County landfill container site

Daniels County commissioners on July 15 approved a construction contract and signed a notice to proceed for a new landfill container site after the contractor revised the proposal to remove gravel and road items from the scope. The contractor (Les) presented a revised price, described in the meeting documents as roughly $262,800 after deducting road- and gravel-related line items.

The change leaves the county responsible for providing pit-run gravel and building access roads, which commissioners and road staff discussed during a detailed construction-and-logistics briefing. Contractor Les told the board he would begin footing and wall work within the month and estimated slab, wall and finishing work could stretch into mid-August depending on concrete testing and weather.

Why it matters: The vote moves a long-planned solid-waste project into construction while keeping road and gravelling work under county control, which will affect equipment scheduling and staff time for the road crew and likely require coordination on gravel sourcing and placement.

The board heard a breakdown of the contract line items the contractor removed from his original bid: road mobilization and pit-run gravel totaled six figures in the initial estimate and were explicitly deducted when the contract was reissued. Commissioners and contractor representatives agreed that county crews would receive gravel in staged deliveries and spread it incrementally (the board advised compacting in several lifts rather than a single stockpile delivery).

Payment timing and invoicing were resolved in the meeting: the contractor requested payment for materials already purchased, and county staff said claims for work completed through the end of July should be submitted to the clerk’s office by Aug. 2 for payment on Aug. 6; the board confirmed it will sign pay estimates and claims after review.

The board formally moved and approved the construction agreement during the meeting. No dissent was recorded. Commissioners instructed staff to distribute signed contract copies and to coordinate gravel bidding/quotes from local suppliers. The contractor agreed to provide a short schedule and meet with county road staff on-site to align staging and traffic-control needs.

Next steps: County staff will finalize gravel sourcing and roadwork plans with the road department; the contractor will turn in pay estimates and proceed with footing pours and subsequent wall work as scheduled.

Quotes and attribution: Contractor Les outlined the scope changes and schedule at the meeting. County staff and commissioners reviewed payment timing and coordination plans before the roll-call approval. The notice to proceed was signed in public session.

The meeting record shows the item was discussed at length before the board voted to approve the construction contract.