Well, the hens finally came to roost. After several attempts to negotiate a lower figure, the pipeline company finally settled for no less than the amount I need to complete the repairs to the roads that they damaged. We are busy winding up any project that can't wait for a month or so while we are repairing the damages. We added another culvert to CR1612 to handle the extra run-off from the Stonebriar development, today. We covered the repairs to CR 1355 and CR 1357 with topping and we scabbed a small section of CR 1485. Curtis is still making his way around the precinct, trimming back the limbs and cleaning up where the mower couldn't get with his side-boom mower. Next week, we should begin resurfacing CR 1550 and rebuilding the worst parts. All said, the pipeline company was fair to our precinct in both the negotiations and the settlement.

If you will notice around bridges, curves and corners, our spraying of the roadside has done extremely well. I told the crew that I had some secrets to improve the kill on the spraying, all legal and according to the label, left over from my days on the ranch. They still work!!! We have been digging out some soft spots around the precinct, filling with iron ore, and began covering with asphalt today. We have more to do tomorrow before we do some basic patching on Friday.

See, I told you I have been having issues with my computer! I'm not really repeating myself, I just didn't think the first entry posted yesterday.

Sorry that I haven't posted lately, but my hand-me-down computer has been on the fritz since last week. We have finished for now our improvements on CR1200. We have more to do, but I'll wait for the new budget year in October. We will probably move to CR1485, CR1775 and CR1695 for our next projects. We hope to get to finish the repairs to the roads used by the pipeline, CR1550, CR1680, and CR1780, but we must wait for their damage money. We have been finishing up our mowing of the precinct and the spraying of the right-of-way. Also we have been taking advantage of the unusually warm weather by making our own oil sand at our mixing field.

Since my last post, we have finished the improvements on CR1200. There will be more to come but we will need to wait for the new budget in October. Luminant was generous to provide us with 200 tons of cold mix, so that we could take the "roller coaster" out of the road and the rise to the haul road bridge. We now have turned to our mowing of the precinct and spraying of the rights of way. Also, we are waiting for our new bid on materials to start on July 1st that will save the precinct about 25%. In the meantime, we are making our own oil sand at our mixing field, taking advantage of this unually hot weather. Soon, we hope to get started on finishing our repairs to the roads used by the pipeline, CR1550, CR 1680, and CR1780. We have much in front of us, but we have the crew to get it all done this year. Sorry for not posting more often, but my hand-me-down computer has been on the fritz since last week.

I'm sorry that I haven't posted before now but we have been "gittin it" lately. We installed a large culvert for Mr. Easley, the contractor for a couple from out of town, building on the old Coburn Place. We also have been spreading alot of paving material on CR1200 and on the intersecting road CR1220. The expenses are high but that area needed some work badly. We also have had trees to cut off the road after the storm last week, but we were lucky that very little damage occurred during that high wind storm. The mower is still making its way around the precinct, having completed most of the eastern and southwestern portions of the area and working our way north from CR1340. We also have been patching some odds and ends during our "in between" times.

As an addition to my earlier post, I want to go over criteria for where we patch, scab, redo or leave for a new budget year. I wished we had sufficient funds to make our county roads look like city streets. However, we maintain our roads to be all weather, pothole free,and relatively smooth. Most roads are in good enough shape to require only patching on regular intervals. Sometimes, heavily traveled roads (i.e. CR1200) with many residents require scabbing( a smooth surface treatment on the existing base) on a regular schedule. This doesn't mean shoulder to shoulder cover, but a long stretch of topping to cover past patching. Maybe one or two roads per year can be singled out in certain stretches to be redone. Where the base has been undermined and washed out, we rip up the existing road, mill it into a coarse material, add fresh oil, mix it well and lay it back down from shoulder to shoulder. That could be a heavily traveled road with base problems( i.e. CR 1905) or a badly damaged road with past neglect. Eventually, all roads will be addressed as to their needs, but on a day to day basis, this is the criteria we use.