Red Cloud firm wins road bid

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

McCOOK, Neb. -- During their weekly meeting Monday morning, Red Willow County commissioners accepted a $40,000 armor coating bid from the company that's worked on the county's roads since late-1990s cars were brand new.

Figgins Construction, of Red Cloud, probably knows the county's armor-coated roads as well as the county's rural residents. Commission chairman Earl McNutt guessed Monday afternoon that Figgins has bid the county's armor coat (AC) road projects for 15-20 years, and has lost the bid only once in that time.

This year, on Monday, Top Coat of Yankton, S.D., submitted a bid for the county's four AC projects. Figgins still won the contract, with a $39,920 bid. County road crews will haul the road gravel to three of the four sites. "We'll haul to Indianola South," Gerald Figgins told commissioners, "because it's close (to the sand pit near Indianola). That will eliminate the waste" created when stockpiles are built near a construction site. "There's always some gravel lost on a stockpile site," Figgins said.

Top Coat's bid, with the county hauling the gravel, was $65,350. Top Coat's bid, if their own crews hauled the gravel, was $77,061.

A drop in the price of oil -- from $3.06 per gallon in 2015 to $2.38 this summer -- may be offset slightly by an increase in gravel -- from $6.75 per ton in 2015 to $7.30 per ton this summer. However, county road superintendent Gary Dicenta estimated earlier this summer that the cost per mile is still lower this summer -- $13,984.74 per mile -- than last summer -- $16,259.52 per mile.

Commissioners spent about $150,000 on approximately 8 1/2 miles of AC last year.

The four 2016 projects are: "Bartley South," six miles going south out of Bartley; "McCook River Road," south and west and south of McCook, about 2 miles; "Indianola South," south of the diversion road south of Indianola, 3 1/2 miles; and "Lebanon Cemetery," about half-a-mile near the Lebanon Cemetery.

Construction on the four projects will start late August or early September.


Red Willow County commissioners approved support for 2016-17 in the amount of $2,000 to the Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center in North Platte as it serves victims of child abuse, sexual assault and neglect. Anne Power, Bridge of Hope executive director, told commissioners their goal is not to allow abuse and neglect to be the "definer forever" for victims, "to allow them to go back to their childhoods."

The Bridge of Hope serves 15 counties in Southwest and Central Nebraska. Their services are: Forensic interviews, medical evaluations, advocacy, community education programs, professional training, case review coordination, hair follicle collection to test for drug exposure, peer previews and medical peer reviews.

Usage of the Bridge of Hope was down in 2015, but it has increased so far in 2016, Power said, citing 10 sexual assault investigations in Red Willow County since Jan. 1. Seven other Red Willow County cases have involved abuse and/or neglect.

Referrals to the Bridge of Hope come from county attorneys/judges, law enforcement and Health and Human Services. McNutt told Power that Red Willow County attorney Paul Wood highly recommends the Bridge of Hope.


Following the announcement of her resignation by county treasurer Marleen Garcia in mid-June, commissioners have received seven applications for her position. Commissioners went into closed session Monday morning to review the applications.

After a 20-minute closed session, commissioners announced they will schedule interviews starting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, July 27.

The successful applicant will complete the remainder of Garcia's term of office, through the end of 2018. Garcia's last day is Friday, July 29.

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