By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
EL RENO – A paving contractor has been hired to improve more than 18 miles of rural roads in western Canadian County.
Canadian County Commissioners, at their Aug. 10 meeting, awarded low bids totaling about $245,000 to Vance Brothers, Inc. for two chip seal projects in District 3.
The contractor’s combined bids were $100,000 below the second lowest bidder and $211,000 under engineer estimates.
District 3 Commissioner Jack Stewart, of Yukon, recommended Vance Brothers earn the contract after opening and reviewing bids submitted by three vendors.
“They were unbelievably great bids,” Stewart said. “I am just ecstatic.”
Commissioners first awarded a $124,162 bid for “chip seal project one”, which will cover 9.25 miles on sections of four roadways – Walbaum (2 miles), Niles (1/4 mile), Karns (1/2 mile), and 234th (6-1/2 miles).
They then awarded a $120,806 bid for “chip seal project two”, which will cover 9 miles on sections of four roadways – Walbaum (3-1/4 mile), Jones (1-1/4 mile), Darlington (3 miles), and Ft. Reno (1-1/2 miles).
Vance Brothers submitted low bids for both projects. The next lowest bids were $175,288 for project one and $170,550 for project two.
Engineer’s estimates were $231,250 for project one and $225,000 for project two, according to Commissioner Stewart.
Chip seal is a pavement surface treatment that combines one or more layers of asphalt with one or more layers of fine aggregate. Chip seals are typically used on rural roads carrying lower traffic volumes.
In other business at Monday morning’s weekly meeting, Canadian County Commissioners approved:
• An agreement between Canadian County District 1 and Smith-Roberts Land Services for right-of-way services on a state bridge project on Waterloo Road just west of Four Corners.
The 10-ton bridge carries heavy truck traffic and really needs to be replaced, according to District 1 Commissioner Marc Hader.
• A resolution to acknowledge the departure of K-9 dog Maverick from the county’s sheriff’s office. Maverick has retired for health reasons.
• A consulting contract for Cathy Montgomery to provide licensed dietician services for FY2021 at the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center.
The inmate population at the Canadian County Jail on Aug. 10 stood at 163, including 159 in-house. Some 17 inmates await state Department of Corrections’ transfer.
