Commissioners open bid for stockpile site

COLFAX — Whitman County Commissioners met for their regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to approve agenda items and open the bid for the Gnaedinger Stockpile Site.

The meeting opened with the flag salute, followed by public comment.

Colfax citizen, Denny McDonald asked County Commissioner Art Swannack about a question he’d asked a couple of months ago concerning the cost to the taxpayer for the county employees taking county pickups home.

Swannack said he would look into it and get back to McDonald and took his information to report any findings on the subject.

Commissioners opened the bid for the Gnaedinger Stockpile site, with one bid from J.K. Crushing L.L.C. at approximately $598,500.

Public Works Director Mark Storey said they would look at the bid and make a recommendation at the next commissioner’s meeting.

A stockpile site is used for manufacturing and stockpiling rock and mineral fragments for maintenance activities.

Salary Commissioner Board Update was opened with Commissioner Tom Handy moving to remove several from salaries in local government.

Swannack said the change was due to a code change by the state, and the change was made before the individuals were appointed. The motion was seconded and approved.

A movement to pass the Sheriff Interlocal Agreement with Garfield County was opened.

Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers told the Gazette that the agreement allows the Whitman County Jail to hold prisoners for Garfield County under a contract.

Myers said that they often hold prisoners for other entities including the U.S. Marshalls office and the Department of Corrections.

“They are short on space,” Myers said, noting that they have an agreement in place and the jail now has court pods with Zoom in every one of their holdings which will allow the prisoners to face their own judge.

Swannack said that approval was received from the prosecutor and moved to have the assistance of correctional services given to Garfield County until Dec. 31, 2024.

The motion was seconded and approved.

In Public Works updates, officials noted that they were getting ready for summer hours to start on Mar. 11 and that the countywide guardrail project would begin on Mar. 11 on Wawawai Road and progress north.

The Public Works department opened bids for the million-dollar project to improve guardrails around the county in various locations using federal safety funds on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023.

The bid was awarded to Frank Gurney’s bid at an engineer’s estimate of $852,791.50 on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.