County buys new equipment for road department
In an effort to make the most use of limited funding for road resurfacing, the Grady County Commission approved the purchase of some new equipment for the county road department Tuesday.
All of the purchases were unanimously approved by the three members of the board present. For the last two meetings, only Commissioners Ray Prince, T.D. David and Keith Moye have been present. Chairman Elwyn Childs is away traveling and Commissioner LaFaye Copeland is ill.
The county is currently leasing a roller from Flint Equipment for work on the Tired Creek Lake road building project. The county has spent $49,435.94 of state grant funds to pay for the rental.
Grady County Administrator Carlos Tobar recommended this week for the county to spend $29,374.06 in Local Maintenance & Improvement Grant (LMIG) funds to purchase the roller outright.
“We will continue to use it for a very long time,” Tobar said.
The county also has solicited bids for a reclaimer, which will be used to repair and improve the base of county roads and strengthen dirt roads.
Rather than accept the lower bid, Tobar recommended the higher priced model, which he and Road Superintendent Stanley Elkins say has more features and is a better designed machine.
The board approved the purchase of the Road Hog reclaimer from Flint Equipment for $122,425. The county will lease purchase the machine for $2,684.98 for 48 months at an interest rate of 2.54 percent and LMIG funds will be used to pay the lease.
County commissioners also authorized the lease purchase of a new dump truck from Rush Truck Center for $107,373. The lease payments will be funded out of LMIG, according to Tobar.
