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Commissioners approve 5-year lease on new graders

Thursday, April 21, 2011
BY JARED JERNAGAN Assistant Editor

The Putnam County Highway Department will be leasing its three graders at a reduced rate over the next five years.

On Monday, the Putnam County Commissioners approved a five-year lease for three 2011 Caterpillar 160M all-wheel-drive motor graders. The county had been operating on a three-year lease in the past.

MacAllister Machinery Company, which leases the county its graders, put together a number of options for the county, including lease terms of three, four or five years. Ultimately, the commissioners settled on a five-year lease, with the equity from old graders, which the county is turning back in, going toward the payments for the new equipment.

Under the previous arrangement, the graders each cost the county $22,000 per year. Under the new arrangement, each grader will be leased for $13,965 per year, a savings of more than $8,000 per unit.

The deal also comes with a five-year/5,000 hour total machine warranty.

The sheriff's department will also be parting ways with some old vehicles no longer of value to the department, donating a pair of 2000 and 2001 Ford Crown Victorias to the Stilesville Police Department.

"They don't have a lot of funding," Ashley O'Hair of the sheriff's department said. "We've worked with them before."

Commissioner Nancy Fogle asked if any county agencies had asked about the vehicles, but O'Hair said they had not.

The move passed 3-0.

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  • They could do away with the graders if they would just pave the roads...or at least chip & seal them. Seems like a lot of money for equipment, fuel & manpower, not to mention the cost of gravel, dump trucks, fuel for the trucks. Thats a lot of money just for gravel roads. When will Putnam county climb out of the 19/20th century?

    -- Posted by killintime on Thu, Apr 21, 2011, at 11:27 AM

  • $13,000 will pay for 1 mile chip/seal in 2011 with a life expectancy of 4 years...that's what was told to me last week. I think there's around 250 miles of gravel roads in this county,fyi...

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Thu, Apr 21, 2011, at 12:56 PM

  • Something HAS to be done about the conditions of the roads here as I have stated before. I mean, the roads here in Afghanistan are significantly BETTER than some of the roads back in Putnam County and the "Afghanistan Highway crews" have the roads repaired within HOURS of an IED Blast to keep the roads open and in good repair. Last time I was home, I was in Shock at the conditions of the road there. The County Road crews just chuck some asphalt in the hole and call it good. Pathetic and embarrassing the conditions of those roads. The roads that are paved should be repaired and the graders are going to help to be sure. I say it's a good start.

    -- Posted by Afghan Contractor on Sun, Apr 24, 2011, at 2:58 AM

  • 250 miles of unpaved roads!!!....well there lies your problem then. Why dont you add up all cost of equipment, fuel, manpower, and gravel/sand/riprap per mile then multiply that number by 250 per year(sometimes 2 or 3 times per year) Would it not be more cost effective(longterm) to just start paving them?

    -- Posted by killintime on Mon, Apr 25, 2011, at 9:01 AM

  • Costs $500.00 per mile to stone a road solid x twice/year=$1000.00.Using these numbers,they can do approx.13 years for the price of a chip/seal mile. Don't forget chip/seal is good for 4 years only and should be done again which won't happen...

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Mon, Apr 25, 2011, at 3:33 PM

  • I take it you dont live on a gravel road do you bomtrax5?

    -- Posted by killintime on Wed, Apr 27, 2011, at 1:43 AM
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