It took several phone calls, but the county got an answer about when dust control efforts will begin.
Mark Griffith, road and bridge director, told county commissioners Tuesday he finally was able to confirm that dust control chemicals will be applied to county roads the last week of June.
About 30 rural property owners have asked for the applications. The county charges them a fee, then pays a contractor to do the work. Griffith was frustrated with a lack of response and proposed reimbursing property owners if the company didn’t complete the work until after July 1.
Commission Chairman David Lee asked if Griffith had received any feedback from the community after an article about the problem last week. Griffith said he had not.
SPEAKING of feedback, Public Works Director Mitch Garner and Noxious Weeds Director Kevin Turner met with Tom Cannon, who was upset that crews sprayed chemicals on land he mows and killed flowers his family had planted years ago.
The land is actually in the county’s right-of-way, but Cannon mows and maintains it.
Commissioners suggested crews communicate with landowners who are obviously maintaining the property before they spray. Garner said they have been advised.
Garner also said because noxious weed crews started spraying chemicals earlier in the year, at the request of commissioners, it was sometimes difficult for crews to see where weeds were getting ready to sprout, and thus they may have sprayed more than necessary.
Crews have now completed a full pass on spraying the county’s right-of-ways and will start over. By now, weeds like Johnson grass should be easier to spot, Garner said.
COMMISSIONERS approved a request by Griffith to purchase a new excavator.
Griffith recommended the purchase of a 2023 Cat excavator from Foley Equipment in Chanute for $252,723.
It was actually the highest of three bids, but Griffith said he preferred Foley’s offer because its Chanute location would make it easier for maintenance. The next highest bid was from a company in Wichita. The low bid, from John Deere in Iola, likely was lower because the excavator already has 155 hours on it, and the warranty’s hour limit was lower than Foley’s. Foley also offered $45,000 for a trade-in on the county’s 2011 excavator, which was more than the others.
The new excavator will have a larger bucket, be more efficient and result in lower fuel costs, Griffith said.
He also explained why the county has been purchasing a great deal of expensive, heavy equipment over the past year or two.
That’s because Garner, who previously oversaw the department, had set aside money in the special equipment fund for several years and built up a large reserve in anticipation of the present need. The money cannot be used for anything else.
Even after this and other purchases, that fund still has about $2.7 million.
