County OKs spending up to $343k for equipment purchase, repairs

BY MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
GLASGOW NEWS 1
The Barren County Fiscal Court on Tuesday approved some substantial sums to be spent on repairing and/or purchasing equipment for the Road Department.
Magistrate Tim Coomer, who now chairs the fiscal court’s Transportation Committee, provided a lengthy report based on a meeting of that group earlier Tuesday morning. The committee’s agenda had essentially two items on the agenda – one specific and one much broader.
“We had a lot of, lot of things to go over,” Coomer told the rest of the fiscal court.
The first item regarded guardrails on Chevy Lane, and he said they had obtained a quote on an estimate of $22,704.
“It’s kind of across the road from Steeplechase,” he said. “It’s a very high bank on each side and it does flood, and it’s a very dangerous spot, and I think it’s something we need to do.”
He offered the motion to get that done, and as part of the discussion, Magistrate Marty Kinslow asked when it would be done and whether the county was doing the installation.
Coomer said the price from EFI out of Elizabethtown included the installation, and the timing had depended on how soon it was approved. He added that it’s a total of 600 feet of guardrail but one side would be longer than the other.
Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd said individuals from that neighborhood have been reaching out to get something done “for a while now.” With significant rain, it’s difficult to tell where and how deep the drop-offs are, so there is a safety need.
With all members present, the vote was unanimous, as were all the votes of the meeting.
The other item on the committee’s agenda for its special-called meeting, was “discussion of equipment purchase and leasing,” and several items fell under that category that Coomer then brought to the fiscal court.
He asked his colleagues to consider purchasing a MowerMax mower for $289,917.75, acknowledging that it was “very expensive.”
He said they had looked into the possibility for a couple of years, and it’s a multiuse piece of equipment, including boom mower.
“We have a lot of trees and growth on the sides of the county roads,” he said, and this product would enable them to grind limbs farther back so they are not scratching vehicles as they go by. It can grind up to an 8-inch limb. What they use now is a tractor with a boom mower that’s not really made for that purpose, and it requires a lot of repairs, he said, adding they would come back to that item later, but mentioned it would cost more than $9,000 to fix it now.
“I want to go ahead and get this. If we order it today, it’s going to be probably at least August before we can get it,” Coomer said of the MowerMax. He said the money is in the budget, and various attachments can be purchased with it.
The price includes the mower itself for normal mowing of grass, a mulching head, a saw blade and a blower to get the material off the roadway, he said.
To get another tractor with a boom mower, they would be looking at close to $200,000 alone, and that would be its only use.
“We’ve talked to several counties that have these; Pulaski County just bought five of them …,” Coomer said. “We have talked to people from different counties and they all say it’s just a wonderful piece of equipment.”
He made the motion for that purchase as well, and Magistrate Jeff Botts said he had been at some of the meetings and met the salesman and talked with counterparts from Pulaski, and he believed it was the right decision.
Coomer added that other attachments, such as a snow plow and a ditcher, can be purchased for it if they decide that’s what they want.
Magistrate Brad Groce asked how much they’ve spent on repairs for the current setup in the last few years, and Coomer reiterated it was currently in the shop and they had a bill for it.
“The problem with our old one is the mower runs on hydraulics, and the tractors … aren’t made heavy enough with the hydraulics on the tractor,” he said, but he said they will need to us it until they get the new one and then would still have the old one as backup, as there are 630 miles of county roads to cover.
Byrd echoed the information about talking with leaders from other counties and said that having this equipment may enable the county to not have to contract out as much for certain types of services, and she asked Jamie DeGroft, road supervisor, whether he had any comments to add.
He said he believed it would be a good investment for the county.
Groce asked about the warranty on it, and Coomer said he believed it was three years but it wasn’t specifically spelled out in the quote.
Magistrate Tim Durham pointed out that it is a one-of-a-kind piece of equipment, so it wasn’t something they could advertise for bids.
Coomer added that it would also be safer, because it was designed for potential use on hills and uneven terrain.
The fiscal court approved the purchase.
Later, Coomer came back with a motion to approve a purchase order for $9,784.97 to Wright Implement in Bowling Green for the repairs that have been completed on the old boom tractor. He said the intent was to pick it up from the shop that day and put it back to work. It was approved.
The other Transportation Committee/Road Department items were:
— Coomer said no action from the full fiscal court was necessary at the time, but the committee had decided to get some quotes for a mini-excavator. Their backhoe was down again, and it was anticipated it would be at least a month before they could even get it in the shop for evaluation, and they are leasing one now for about $2,700 a month.
He said it is believed that the new equipment would allow them to do many of the same things but more quickly. Coomer added they are also checking purchase and/or lease pricing for a tandem dump truck.
Coomer mentioned in that context that the desire is to put emblems on all county vehicles in all departments so it will be clear to residents, for example, that if equipment is blocking the road while work is being done, it is being done so as a county function. He said Byrd is looking into some possible designs.
— The New Holland tractor that has not performed well since it was purchased is also back in the shop, again, Coomer said. The estimates are up to as much as $12,000, with a transmission issue, and he asked for authorization for up to that amount to be spent. They would then look at trading it for another vehicle once they get it running well again.
— A similar scenario occurred for a 2016 International dump truck with about 43,000 that’s been sitting for six months with engine problems. The quote for the worst-case scenario with a new engine required would be $31,321.74, and the court approved expenditure of up to that amount.
–Coomer also mentioned that pricing for security cameras for the Road Department and perhaps a couple of other locations was going to be sought.
“And I’m done,” said Coomer, who had earlier in these discussions referred to himself at the bearer of bad news. “I’ve spent a lot of money.”
The other members of the Transportation Committee are Magistrates Derick Pedigo and Ronnie Stinson.