Great Bend Post
Earlier this year, Barton County accepted bids for cold mix for 2025 projects. Rather than award the bid, County administrative staff met with Venture Corporation to determine if there was a more cost-effective method that would enhance operational programming.
County Works Director Chris Schartz said it was determined that the county would move asphalt preparation to Venture.
"In the past, Venture would have to break down their plant in order to bring it to our pit," said Schartz. "They have to plan around their jobs. This would help us get the asphalt sooner. They don't have to break down their plant. We would just go out there and get it."
With Venture mixing the asphalt and providing all aggregates and sand, the county can receive fresh asphalt prepared with purer ingredients. In addition, the county will avoid costs associated with onsite production, storage and material aging.
Barton County Commissioner Duane Reif said the county will receive 25,000 tons of asphalt from Venture at a cost of $32 per ton.
"We could have taken the easy way out and done it like we've always done," said Reif. "It was brought to our attention that maybe we should be looking into this. We did spend a lot of time on this. We had several work sessions."
Schartz said the county could save approximately $45,000 a year in buying sand rather than pumping and hauling the sand from the county’s pit in Ellinwood.
There are 389 miles of paved roads in Barton County, ranking near the top among Kansas counties. A quarter of county’s paved roads are overlaid each year. The southwest quadrant is the focus for repairs in 2025.