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Road commission upgrading equipment

ALPENA — The Alpena County Road Commission is in the process of upgrading its stable of road maintenance vehicles.

The road commission has requested bids for a new grader and will sell back one of the three graders it has now. Managing Director Larry Orcutt said the cost of the new truck will be in the area of about $330,000.

Currently the road commission has three graders, a pair of CATs and a Volvo. Orcutt said there is enough money in the current budget to purchase a new one, even though the other CAT is eligible for buy-back from the company.

The graders are versatile and can be used during any season, Orcutt said. He said although some of the dump trucks have blades on them and are used for smoothing out gravel roads, the graders work better to shape and form the road. He said this time of year, the graders often are used to tackle slippery roads.

“The blades on the grater are heavier than on the trucks and are better at cutting ice,” Orcutt said.

In other business:

∫ the recent rounds of freezing rain, which has caused icy roads, has taken its toll on the salt stockpile at the road commission. Superintendent Curt Gonyea said so far this winter there has been about 1,000 tons of salt used on state trunklines in Alpena County and an additional 650 tons on county roads. Those figures are still lower than last winter when there was 1,600 tons used on state roads and 1,000 tons on county roads. Gonyea said a back-up order of salt has been ordered.

∫ the commissioners voted 2-0 to purchase a new welder from Airgas USA for the cost of $5,678. They also approved the purchase of delineator posts, which are steel posts used with guard rails from Newman Traffic Signs for $1,029.

∫ the next meeting for the road commission is Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. at the county garage.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via email at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter ss_alpenanews. Read his blog, Upon Further Review … at www.thealpenanews.com.

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