Supervisors open rock bids, discuss road priorities

The Grundy County Board of Supervisors opened three bids for rock resurfacing and considered scheduling for road projects during Monday morning’s regular meeting.
           
Bruening Rock Products of Decorah submitted the low bid at $12.2499 per ton for a total cost of $94,936.73, and PCI of Reinbeck bid $13.85 per ton for a total cost of $107,326.88. Paul Niemann Construction of Sumner submitted the high bid at $14.67 per ton and a total cost of $113,692.50. The initial estimate pegged the cost of the project at around $116,000, and the board tabled action to allow County Engineer Gary Mauer to review the bids.
           
Supervisor Jim Ross presented a datasheet that included the annual budget for rock material as a percentage of the entire road department over the last 37 years, noting that the figure has trended downward from a high point of 29 percent in fiscal year 1985. In FY2018, rock made up just 17 percent of the budget, and Ross used the information to argue that the Grundy Road paving project along the eastern border of the county should be delayed to purchase more rock.
           
“We really need to take care of what we’ve got,” he said. “I’m not saying abort (the project), but delay it at the very least.” 
 
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