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County purchases two new graders

Marion County will purchase two prototype Caterpillar motor graders that workers have been testing.

The price of the graders are $153,060 for the 12H and $156,362 for the 120M which includes trading in a 1987 and a 1990s grader.

If the county decides to contract with the financing company through Foley Equipment of Wichita, monthly payments on the two machines will be $2,811 for five years with the option of a balloon payment to purchase the equipment or a buy-back option where the county could sell them back to Foley.

A five-year/6,000-hour warranty will be on each of the graders. The interest rate will be 5.39 percent.

Commissioner Dan Holub asked if the road and bridge department could get by with one new grader instead of two. Supervisor Tom Holub said the department has three spare graders that are used when others are broke down. In the winter time, the spares are used for snow removal, Tom Holub said. He suggested if the commission only wanted to purchase one grader, then only trade one of the older graders and keep the other as a spare.

With that said, commissioner Bob Hein made the motion to purchase two new graders through the lease program; Holub seconded the motion and it passed, 2-1, with commission chairman Randy Dallke voting against.

Previously the commission had expressed concerns that the department currently has nine pieces of equipment on leases.

In other business:

— Cardie Oil Company of Tampa and Cooperative Grain and Supply of Hillsboro shared low bids for area fuel bids.

Cardie Oil had bids of $7,284 for 2,950 gallons of diesel fuel at $2.469 per gallon, and $4,480 for 1,800 gallons at $2.489 per gallon.

Cooperative Grain was awarded the bid for 1,800 gallons of fuel at $2.47 per gallon for a total of $4,446.

— An appointment was set up for 3 p.m. Monday between the county, the bridge engineer, and concerned landowners at 140th and U.S.-77 near Florence where a new bridge will be constructed. Landowners are concerned about the amount of land required for the project.

— Kirkham and Michael Engineering was chosen as the consultant for county bridge projects. The county takes turns each year between the Ellsworth firm and Cook, Flatt, and Strobel Engineers of Wichita.

— Contractors will place rock on county roads following sealing projects as in previous years. Supervisor Dennis Maggard said if county crews were used it would require all of the trucks being used just for those particular projects.

Tom Holub informed the commission that some holes are being intentionally left open so they can be dug out and properly repaired.

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