Higher prices kept the Barton County Road and Bridge Department from completing as many miles of black top sealing as they would have liked this season.
Still, the department sealed 121 miles of county blacktop and 16 blocks of Claflin city streets, according to Road Foreman Mike Patton, who represented the department with the Barton County Commission, Monday.
The commission officially recognized the Road and Bridge, Noxious Weed and Engineering departments for efforts to improve the county roads this construction season.
Assistant Road Foreman Mick Lang noted that sealing is important because it keeps the weather from getting into the road base, which means the county saves money over having to do more involved road repairs as often.
Patton noted that the department sets out to seal about 140 miles of its total 389.5 miles of paved roads each summer, and it’s not a cheap project, either.
This year the department invested $977,673 in material, equipment and personnel costs.
Patton noted that the county didn’t get to 140 miles this year due to material costs. “It’s a money thing. If we had the money there, we’d do the sealing.”
It is important to keep up with the work, it was noted, so the county won’t end up with more expensive repairs later.
Commissioners also received an update from the Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce on the 150th Anniversary Kansas Cattle Drive that will be there on Saturday afternoon.
They also approved a beer license to provide for the Ellinwood Sons of the American Legion to have beer for the event.