By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
County-wide repairs from the July 16, 2023 storm are reaching their conclusion in Barton County. Tuesday morning, the Barton County Commission approved work on buildings at the Road and Bridge Department to finalize storm repairs 54 weeks after the storm hit. But before that, Road and Bridge Director Darren Williams asked the commission to replace a 2008 Ford F350 pickup that is out of commission.
"Since 2017, we've spent over $21,000 trying to get this truck repaired and still haven't found an issue for it," Williams said. "We've taken it to three different dealerships and mechanics to try and figure it out and nobody seems to know what the problem is."
The county received three local bids to replace the truck. The commission approved the purchase of a truck from Ehler Chevrolet, which came in with the middle bid of $52,840.20. The 2008 Ford F350 will be placed in the county auction later this year.
"Road and Bridge is requesting we go with the 2024 Chevy Silverado, which would best fit our operations for our crews," Williams said.
In regards to building repair, the commission approved work from Washington Roofing and Insulation Inc. for $89,227. The work will include pressure washing roof areas, installing an epoxy primer to existing metal roofs, repairing a torn seam in the roofs, and installing an acrylic coating to prepared areas of the roof. County Administrator Matt Patzner said the county can expect to be reimbursed $20-30,000 from a previous insurance carrier once the work is completed.